The US military has made its first use of a low-cost strike drone based on Iran’s Shahed-136, a weapon used extensively by Russia against Ukraine.
In a social media post, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) says that the recently deployed weapon is being used against Iranian targets.
“CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike—for the first time in history—is using one-way attack drones in combat during Operation Epic Fury,” says CENTCOM in a post on X.
“These low-cost drones, modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution.”
Epic Fury involves coordinated airstrikes with Israel, which refers to the operation as Operation Roaring Lion. Targets include military infrastructure such as nuclear facilities, missile sites, and naval bases.
Decapitation of the Iranian regime is a primary objective: both US President Donald Trump and Iranian state media confirm that Iranian ruler Ali Khamenei was killed in a precision strike on his Tehran residence.
In December 2024, CENTCOM announced the creation of its first-ever one-way attack unit, Task Force Scorpion Strike. The task force’s priority is to quickly deliver low-cost and effective drone capabilities to frontline troops.
In US service, the weapon is known as the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS). Developed by Arizona-based SpektreWorks, the LUCAS is a reverse-engineered version of the HESA Shahed-136 but features advanced autonomous swarm coordination.
While the Shahed is effectively a terror weapon, the low-cost LUCAS weapon can be used against high-value regime targets to saturate defences and preserve more sophisticated platforms for follow-on strikes.
Apart from confirming the existence of ongoing operations, the US military has offered few details about the specific platforms being employed.
Assets in the region include two US Navy aircraft carriers, the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford. Lincoln’s Carrier Air Wing 9 includes Lockheed Martin F-35Cs, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft. The Ford’s Carrier Air Wing 8 operates F/A-18E/Fs and EA-18Gs.
Both vessels operate the Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, as well as the MH-60R anti-submarine/anti-surface warfare helicopters and MH-60S utility helicopters.
US Air Force assets in the region include F-22 stealth fighters forward-deployed to Ovda Airbase in Israel, F-35As, F-15E Strike Eagles, Fairchild A-10s, and F-16s.
These are supported by roughly 86 KC-135 and KC-46A tankers, as well as E-3 Sentry AEW&C aircraft.
Iran has retaliated with its own Shahed-136 and ballistic missile strikes against Persian Gulf neighbours and US bases in Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE.
The military action has all but entirely shut down airline operations at major Persian Gulf hubs, with flights suspended due to airspace closures and intense uncrewed aircraft activity. In addition, the airport terminal in Dubai was struck by an Iranian retaliatory strike.
