One-way attack drones in the Middle East: US CENTCOM forms first drone squadron with Lucas

The US military has set up its first one-way drone squadron in the Middle East, creating a unit for one-way attack drones. US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced this on X. As a regional command, CENTCOM is responsible for the Middle East, East Africa and Central Asia; it is currently headed by Admiral Brad Cooper of the US Navy.

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Four months earlier, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had accelerated the procurement and deployment of low-cost drone technology; CENTCOM has now launched Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS). Its mission: to quickly provide deployed troops with drone capabilities that are low-cost and effective.

CENTCOM uses Lucas drones, which are designed for autonomous operation and achieve long ranges. They can be launched by catapult, with rocket assistance or from mobile ground and vehicle systems.

Admiral Brad Cooper commented: “This new task force sets the conditions for using innovation as a deterrent.” He added: “Equipping our soldiers faster with cutting-edge drone capabilities demonstrates the innovative strength and power of the US military – and deters potential aggressors.”

Back in September, CENTCOM had established the Rapid Employment Joint Task Force (REJTF), which is led by the Chief Technology Officer and is intended to accelerate the fielding of new capabilities to the forces. According to CENTCOM, this joint task force bundles the innovation efforts of all services into capabilities, software and technology diplomacy. Special Operations Command Central leads the TFSS work on building a one-way attack drone squadron; it falls under the REJTF focus area “capabilities”.

Nothing has been disclosed about where the one-way drone squadron is based. One possibility would be Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, from where the entire Persian Gulf up to the Strait of Hormuz can be covered.

Lucas: one-way attack drones modelled on the Shahed

The Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (Lucas) comes from US company Spektre Works and was presented in July. The drone is very similar to the Iranian Shahed-136 – in practice, it is a clone. The official basis is the FLM 136 target drone, which Spektre Works describes on its website as “reverse-engineered” in order to simulate a realistic threat.

Measuring 3 metres in length with a 2.5-metre wingspan, the target drone is powered by a 215 cc engine. A cruising speed of around 100 km/h and a top speed of about 160 km/h are stated. With a take-off weight of 81.5 kilograms, it carries an 18-kilogram payload and flies for around six hours. No public data exists for the Lucas kamikaze drone itself. At the presentation to Secretary Hegseth, a unit price equivalent to just under 35,000 euros was quoted.

In August, US company Griffon Aerospace presented another Shahed clone: the MQM-172 Arrowhead. It is described as a high-performance target drone and at the same time as a configurable attack drone that can carry payloads of up to around 50 kg.