The US military struck Iran on Saturday with drones resembling the kind that Russia routinely deploys against Ukrainian cities.
The Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS, is a one-way attack drone that looks nearly identical to the Iranian-designed Shahed. Russia has used Shaheds extensively against Ukraine and now fields its own domestically produced variant.
US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, said in December that it had established a new task force for the military’s first one-way attack drone squadron in the region using LUCAS drones.
Task Force Scorpion Strike “employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat,” CENTCOM said in a statement on operations against Iran on Saturday, later adding that the “low-cost drones, modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution.”
A new weapon for US forces
The LUCAS drone was developed by the American engineering firm SpektreWorks and can be fired from catapults, vehicles, and mobile ground stations. It has rocket-assisted takeoff capabilities and an “extensive” range, according to the Navy.
The classification as a one-way attack drone, or loitering munition, means that LUCAS can fly in a target area for an extended period before diving down to its target and exploding. While the drone closely resembles the Iranian Shahed, the delta-wing design is a popular design for this type of weapon.
One-way attack drones like the Shahed or the Russian version, the Geran-2, have wreaked havoc in Ukrainian cities. Iran-backed militants have also used these weapons extensively in the Middle East, targeting US forces, as well as Israel and merchant vessels.
The LUCAS drone’s development is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to procure and field inexpensive drones. The Trump administration has made it a priority to boost production of uncrewed systems to keep pace with Russia and China.
Drones, missiles, and rocket artillery
The LUCAS drone is one of multiple weapons that American forces used to strike Iran alongside Israeli fighter jets on Saturday.
A US official told Business Insider that warships launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, while ground forces used the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS. Undisclosed standoff weapons and air assets were involved in the operation, dubbed “Epic Fury,” as well.
Iran responded to the joint US-Israeli strikes by launching volleys of missiles across the Middle East, including at major American bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
American MIM-104 Patriot systems, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries, and ship-launched Standard Missile interceptors have been used for air defense, the US official said.
The US military said its forces “successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.”
Other countries, including Qatar and the UK, confirmed they were also involved in defensive operations.
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