U.S. Military Uses Kamikaze Drones in Combat for First Time in Iran Strikes
The U.S. deployed LUCAS drones costing about $35,000 each alongside Tomahawk missiles and stealth fighters to target dispersed Iranian facilities during Operation Epic Fury.
- On February 28, 2026, U.S. Central Command said Task Force Scorpion Strike used LUCAS drones in combat for the first time during Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
- Task Force Scorpion Strike, set up in December 2025, rapidly deployed LUCAS drones reverse-engineered from Iran's Shahed-136 after widespread use of attack drones pushed an "affordable mass" approach.
- Built by SpektreWorks, the LUCAS drone carries an 18-kilogram payload and was successfully launched from USS Santa Barbara in December.
- Operation Epic Fury targeted IRGC command-and-control and air-defence sites, the Iranian Red Crescent reported more than 200 killed, while U.S. Central Command said no American troops were hurt.
- The deployment, paired with stepped-up production and testing, signals a shift toward "affordable mass" tactics as the U.S. accelerates drone efforts and builds the largest regional force in over 20 years.
119 Articles
119 Articles
The U.S. Army attacked Iran with its own weapons: cheap kamikazedrons. "Lucas" is the name of the copy of the "Shahed" drone, whose forefather comes from Germany. In addition to rockets and distance weapons fired from aircraft, the US's attacks on Iran have also used cheap drones. Until now, such weapons have mainly been used by Iran itself and Russia. The most well-known is the Iranian "Shahed 136". The U.S. had previously relied mainly on expe…
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