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2d ago

CENTCOM Launches Task Force Scorpion Strike, Fields First One-Way Attack Drone Squadron in Middle East

The unit adopts $35,000 LUCAS drones modeled on Iran’s Shahed under a rapid-buy push to deter Tehran’s proxy threat.

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Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones are positioned on the tarmac at an undisclosed base in the US Central Command operating area, on November 23, 2025. The LUCAS platforms are part of a one-way attack drone squadron that CENTCOM recently deployed to the Middle East.
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Overview

  • U.S. Central Command said a LUCAS one-way attack drone squadron is already operating at an undisclosed site in the region under Special Operations Command Central leadership.
  • The autonomous, long-range drones can be launched by catapult, rocket-assisted takeoff, and mobile ground or vehicle systems, reducing reliance on runways.
  • Officials said the design was reverse-engineered from a captured Iranian Shahed and developed with U.S. industry partners, including SpektreWorks, with testing conducted in theater and at Yuma Proving Ground.
  • CENTCOM did not disclose force size, saying only there are many drones in the squadron and more are expected as production ramps up.
  • The move aligns with the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance initiative to rapidly field large numbers of low-cost systems, which commanders describe as a way to flip the script on Iran and its proxies.