U.S. deploys its own Shahed drone derivative
LUCAS (Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System) (Photo: U.S. Central Command)
The United States military has deployed its own derivative of the Iranian-designed Shahed UAVs, Ukrainian outlet Defense Express reported on Dec. 4, citing official U.S. communications.
Ironically, the LUCAS (Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack
System) drones now represent a threat to Iran itself. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM),
which oversees military operations in the Middle East, has formed Task Force
Scorpion Strike (TFSS), which deployed its first squadron of LUCAS UAVs.
According to the report, TFSS’s primary targets will be Iran
and its proxy militias. U.S. officials publicly acknowledge that LUCAS started
as a reverse-engineered Shahed-131. After getting their hands on an intact
Shahed-131, engineers conducted a full reverse-engineering study and reproduced
key structural elements. Analysts note, however, that LUCAS is not a direct
copy: it borrows only select fuselage components and subsystems.
From its inception, LUCAS was designed as a modular, multifunctional platform. In addition to strike missions, it can perform reconnaissance and serve as a comms relay. SpektreWorks developed the system on its FLM-131 airframe, and the drone’s first public demonstration took place in July.
New deployment photos show a small box next to the engine, likely a satellite antenna, suggesting satellite guidance capability. If confirmed, that feature would mirror core concepts of Ukraine’s FP-1/2 and Rubaka UAVs: satellite control, real-time operation, and precision strikes at any distance without relying on line-of-sight radio links.
“Thanks to these capabilities, Ukraine’s defenders have wrought havoc on air defenses, radar installations, and other equipment in Crimea,” the report says.
“The geographic scope of the strikes is expanding, and forces recently even shot down a Mi-8 helicopter in flight over Russia’s Rostov Oblast.”
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