On December 3, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the deployment of the first military attack drone squadron based in the Middle East.
The command also announced the establishment of the Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS), which will oversee operational deployments of this type by the U.S. military. The creation of the task force comes four months after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the acceleration of the acquisition and fielding of low-cost drone technologies as part of the “drone dominance” initiative.
The use of these new systems represents further evidence of how cheap drone technology has transformed the battlefield especially in light of the conflict between Israel and Iran and the war in Ukraine. A common thread in both theaters is the use of Iranian Shahed drones, unidirectional and capable of transporting explosives over long distances. Iran employed them against Israel, while Russia purchased them in large quantities to conduct large-scale swarm attacks against Ukraine.
The US squadron will use drones called “LUCAS” (Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System). A US defense official said drones are derived from the reverse engineering of an Iranian Shahed-136 drone, obtained from the United States several years ago.
According to a CENTCOM release, LUCAS drones have long autonomy and are designed to operate autonomously. They can be launched by several mechanisms, including catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and land-based or vehicular mobile systems.
The LUCAS delta-wing drone, approximately 3 meters long and with a wingspan of 2.4 meters, was developed by Arizona-based SpektreWorks in collaboration with the US Army which tested it at the US Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG).
It is not yet clear where the squadron will be deployed in the Middle East. In recent months, the United States has worked intensively to improve its capabilities in the sector.
Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran and allied groups have struck US bases in the region for months, including an outpost in Jordan that left three US service members dead. At the same time, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have relentlessly fired drones and missiles at commercial ships in the Red Sea.
In 2024, Iran launched approximately 170 drones and over 120 ballistic missiles against Israel, most of which were intercepted.
According to a US official, the LUCAS drones, which cost around $35,000 per unit, are an improvement over the Iranian model and offer a more effective military option at a significantly lower price than using manned aircraft.
Interestingly, the squadron does not belong to any specific branch of the military – it will instead be operated by a joint special operations unit operating under the control of Central Command (CENTCOM).
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM stated that this new task force creates the conditions to use innovation as a deterrent: “dEquipping our military with advanced drone capabilities more quickly demonstrates U.S. innovation and strength while deterring bad actors.”
Foto US Army
