As part of its wave of airstrikes against Iran this weekend, U.S. Central Command confirmed that it had launched its new low-cost kamikaze drones, the first time the weapons have been used in combat.
On Saturday afternoon, CENTCOM announced that it had fired its Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones as part of the widespread salvo of weapons used against Iran. Details in the ongoing strikes remain limited, with the White House and military offering only a few statements, but CENTCOM did say that it had successfully launched the LUCAS drones as part of Operation Epic Fury.
“The first hours of the operation included precision munitions launched from air, land, and sea. Additionally, CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat,” CENTCOM said in statement.
Beyond being the first time they were used in combat, the deployment of the LUCAS drones is significant as they are specifically based on Iran’s Shahed-136 one-way attack drone.
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The full extent of the damage to Iran is unclear, and American and Israeli strikes on Iranian cities and military sites continue. The Iranian Red Crescent earlier reported that more than 200 people had been killed in Iran. Several Gulf nations were hit by Iranian munitions, with U.S. bases targeted in retaliatory attacks. CENTCOM has said that no American troops were hurt and damage to bases was minimal.
It’s still not clear how the LUCAS drones were used as part of the operation, said Samuel Bendett, a fellow with the Center for a New American Security who researches drones and autonomous military systems. However he noted that both they and Shaheds have been fired over the last day.
“LUCAS drones used in this engagement are much cheaper than comparable missiles, have an equal or greater range than many U.S. missiles, and allow for loitering capability to strike targets at appropriate time,” Bendett said.
The United States has been training with and utilizing loitering munitions for some time, spurred on in part by their effectiveness on both sides of the war in Ukraine. The widespread use of Iranian-made one-way attack drones, in the Red Sea conflict and in attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East in 2024, saw the United States rush to adopt similar cheap uncrewed systems that could carry out kamikaze strikes.
Photos shared to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service show the American drone is capable of being launched using rockets or catapults. In December, the U.S. Navy successfully fired one from a ship in the Persian Gulf for the first time. Task Force Scorpion Strike was set up late last year as part of the military’s effort to accelerate the testing and deployment of drones.
Despite being cheap, Bendett noted they can be very effective and travel significant distances. The Shahed can travel several hundred miles, while the LUCAS is believed to have similar range. And it’s”much cheaper than firing a comparable missile,” he said.
