Engineering:Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System

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Not to be confused with Low Cost Autonomous Attack System.
Short description: American-built one-way attack drone

Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System
Several LUCAS drones in November 2025
TypeOne-way attack drone
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service2025–present
Used byUnited States Armed Forces
Wars
  • Operation Absolute Resolve
  • Operation Epic Fury
Production history
DesignerSpektreWorks
Unit cost$35,000[1]
Specifications
Length10 ft (3.0 m)
Engine215 cc carbureted internal-combustion engine[2]
Wingspan8 ft (2.4 m)
Operational
range
500 mi (800 km)[3]

The Low-cost Uncrewed (Unmanned) Combat Attack System (LUCAS) is a one-way attack drone[4] developed for the United States Armed Forces by U.S. defense contractor SpektreWorks. It utilizes technology developed from the reverse engineering of the Iranian-designed HESA Shahed 136.[5] LUCAS is similar in appearance to the Shahed 136, albeit slightly smaller at about 10 feet long and with a wingspan of about eight feet. LUCAS is designed to be mass-producible at scale for low cost compared to more expensive conventional munitions;[6] U.S. CENTCOM revealed the cost of the drone to be $35,000 per unit.[7][8][6]

LUCAS was first revealed in July 2025,[9] and the first operational squadron was deployed in the Middle East in December 2025. According to OSINT researchers, LUCAS was first used on January 3, 2026 as part of Operation Absolute Resolve.[10] LUCAS's first officially confirmed use was in February 2026, against the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces during the 2026 Iran War.[11][12]

LUCAS has been positioned as a counter to low-cost drone swarms used by adversaries such as Iran and its proxies, as well as Russia in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.[13]

Background and development

A LUCAS launching from missing name

One-way attack drones are a type of expendable drone, typically carrying a warhead and meant to detonate upon impact. The first examples were produced in the 1970s and 1980s, but in the 2000s and 2010s production dramatically increased, especially with the introduction of Iranian models.[14] Shahed drones were used in various conflicts, including extensive use by Russia during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, who mass-produced a version known as the Geran-2.[15] Lessons learned from these conflicts led the U.S. to step up development of autonomous weapon systems; efforts included the 2023 Replicator program to build "thousands of autonomous weapons" by July 2025.[16][17] This was followed by a July 2025 "drone dominance" initiative, further supporting drone production and aiming to equip military units with one-way attack drones by the end of 2026.[18]

The US captured a Shahed 136 "a few years"[5] before 2025, and set to reverse-engineer it. The primary contractor, SpektreWorks, an Arizona-based firm specializing in unmanned systems, led the engineering effort. Founded in 2018, SpektreWorks had previously developed the FLM-136, a Shahed-inspired target drone for training and threat emulation. LUCAS evolved from this platform, with initial prototypes unveiled at a Pentagon briefing in July 2025.[9][19] LUCAS was tested at Yuma Proving Ground.[20]

LUCAS can navigate autonomously, and has a range of about 500 miles (800 km).[3] According to defense analysts, LUCAS may use SpaceX Starshield, a military version of Starlink, for this purpose.[21] The unit cost is roughly $35,000, which has been contrasted with the $2.5 million cost of a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile.[21]

Deployment and operational use

LUCAS was first deployed in late 2025. CENTCOM announced a deployment to the Middle East on December 3, 2025, under Task Force Scorpion Strike, part of Special Operations Command Central.[5][22]

On December 16, 2025, missing name test launched a LUCAS drone at sea for the first time, in the Persian Gulf.[23][24][25]

According to OSINT researchers, LUCAS was first used on January 3, 2026 during Operation Absolute Resolve as part of strikes against the Venezuelan armed forces.[10][26] The drones were used in conjunction with missile strikes to swarm and overwhelm Venezuelan air defense systems in the successful operation to capture President Nicolas Maduro.[27]{{better source needed|date=March 2026} The first officially confirmed usage of LUCAS was on February 28, 2026, when the system was used to strike Iranian targets during the 2026 Iran war.[28][29] On March 5, the CENTCOM commander, Admiral Cooper noted the weapon was 'indispensable', but declined to define its current targets in Iran.[30]

References

  1. ↑ Altman, Howard (February 28, 2026). "U.S. Military Has Used Long-Range Kamikaze Drones In Combat For The First Time". https://www.twz.com/news-features/u-s-military-has-used-long-range-kamikaze-drones-in-combat-for-the-first-time. 
  2. ↑ Bryen, Stephen (December 6, 2025). "Iranian drone clone now a US Central Command weapon". https://asiatimes.com/2025/12/iranian-drone-clone-now-a-us-central-command-weapon/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Simkins, J. D. (February 28, 2026). "US confirms first combat use of LUCAS one-way attack drone in Iran strikes". https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/02/28/us-confirms-first-combat-use-of-lucas-one-way-attack-drone-in-iran-strikes/. 
  4. ↑ Johnston, Jesse (2026-03-01). "U.S. military uses 'one-way attack drones' in combat for first time in Iran strikes" (in en-US). The Japan Times (Tokyo). https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/01/world/us-iran-one-way-attack-drones/. Retrieved 2026-03-02. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Britzky, Haley (2025-12-03). "US sets up one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East after reverse-engineering Iranian drone | CNN Politics" (in en). https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/03/politics/drones-us-iran-middle-east. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chiu, Leo. "Meet LUCAS: Pentagon’s Modular Reply to Iran’s Shahed". https://www.kyivpost.com/post/56499. 
  7. ↑ "U.S. Presents Low-Cost LUCAS Strike Drone Inspired by Shahed" (in en-US). https://militarnyi.com/en/news/u-s-presents-low-cost-lucas-strike-drone-inspired-by-shahed/. 
  8. ↑ Bryen, Stephen (2025-12-06). "Iranian drone clone now a US Central Command weapon" (in en-US). https://asiatimes.com/2025/12/iranian-drone-clone-now-a-us-central-command-weapon/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Epstein, Jake. "A new American drone that showed up at the Pentagon looks a lot like the Shaheds Russia uses to bomb Ukraine". https://www.businessinsider.com/us-has-version-iranian-shahed-that-russia-uses-attack-ukraine-2025-7. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 https://osintmethat.com/2026/03/12/operation-absolute-resolve-the-night-maduro-was-taken-a-full-osint-reconstruction/#P2
  11. ↑ "U.S. Presents Low-Cost LUCAS Strike Drone Inspired by Shahed" (in en-US). https://militarnyi.com/en/news/u-s-presents-low-cost-lucas-strike-drone-inspired-by-shahed/. 
  12. ↑ Fletcher, Zita (2025-12-04). "CENTCOM launches new 'suicide drone' attack force in Middle East" (in en). https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2025/12/04/centcom-launches-new-suicide-drone-attack-force-in-middle-east/. 
  13. ↑ Altman, Joseph; Trevithick, Howard (2025-12-03). "U.S. Deploys Shahed-136 Clones To Middle East As A Warning To Iran" (in en-US). https://www.twz.com/air/u-s-deploys-shahed-136-clones-to-middle-east-as-a-warning-to-iran. 
  14. ↑ Goudarzi, Sara (June 5, 2023). "One way attack: How loitering munitions are shaping conflicts". https://thebulletin.org/2023/06/one-way-attack-how-loitering-munitions-are-shaping-conflicts/. 
  15. ↑ Epstein, Jake. "A new US military task force just used its cheap Shahed lookalike drones for the first time to strike Iran" (in en-US). https://www.businessinsider.com/new-us-military-force-used-cheap-attack-drones-first-time-2026-2. 
  16. ↑ Tirpak, John (December 13, 2024). "Replicator ‘on Track’ to Field Thousands of Cheap Drones Within Months". https://www.airandspaceforces.com/replicator-on-track-cheap-drones/. 
  17. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (July 10, 2025). "Pentagon Just Made A Massive, Long Overdue Shift To Arm Its Troops With Thousands Of Drones". https://www.twz.com/air/pentagon-just-made-a-massive-long-overdue-shift-to-arm-its-troops-with-thousands-of-drones. 
  18. ↑ Vincent, Brandi (2025-12-03). "US military stands up first kamikaze drone squadron under Centcom's new 'Scorpion Strike' task force" (in en-US). https://defensescoop.com/2025/12/03/low-cost-attack-drone-squadron-centcom-task-force-scorpion-strike/. 
  19. ↑ "FLM 136". https://spektreworks.com/counter-uas/#flm. 
  20. ↑ "Low-cost combat attack system tested at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground" (in en). 2025-12-03. https://www.army.mil/article/289326/low_cost_combat_attack_system_tested_at_u_s_army_yuma_proving_ground. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Mozur, Paul; Satariano, Adam (March 7, 2026). "'Designed to Wreak Havoc': The Cheap Drones Shaping the War With Iran". https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/technology/iran-shahed-drones-us-war.html. 
  22. ↑ Carlin, Maya (2025-12-05). "US Stands Up New Drone Strike Force in the Middle East" (in en-US). https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/us-stands-up-new-drone-strike-force-in-the-middle-east-mc-120425. 
  23. ↑ "U.S. Navy in Middle East Employs Attack Drone at Sea for First Time". Department of Defense. 17 December 2025. https://www.dvidshub.net/news/554740/us-navy-middle-east-employs-attack-drone-sea-first-time. 
  24. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (2025-12-18). "Littoral Combat Ship Launches Shahed-136 Kamikaze Drone Clone" (in en-US). https://www.twz.com/air/american-shahed-136-clone-fired-from-navy-littoral-combat-ship. 
  25. ↑ "U.S. Navy Test-Launches an Iranian Drone Clone From a Ship's Helideck" (in en). https://maritime-executive.com/article/u-s-navy-test-launches-an-iranian-drone-clone-from-a-ship-s-helideck. 
  26. ↑ https://x.com/LoLManya/status/2028550143746671042
  27. ↑ https://x.com/LoLManya/status/2028550178366459940
  28. ↑ Simkins, Jon (28 February 2026). "US confirms first combat use of LUCAS one-way attack drone in Iran strikes". Military Times. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/02/28/us-confirms-first-combat-use-of-lucas-one-way-attack-drone-in-iran-strikes/. 
  29. ↑ Altman, Howard (2026-02-28). "U.S. Military Has Used Long-Range Kamikaze Drones In Combat For The First Time" (in en-US). https://www.twz.com/news-features/u-s-military-has-used-long-range-kamikaze-drones-in-combat-for-the-first-time. 
  30. ↑ Howard Altman. (5 March 2026). "LUCAS Kamikaze Drones Lauded As “Indispensable” By U.S. Admiral In Charge Of Iran War". War Zone website Retrieved 11 March 2026.



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