--- title: "The US is using Iran’s own ‘one-way’ suicide drone against Iran" date: "2026-03-02" modified: "2026-03-02" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/tactical/lucas-drone-iran-shahed/" categories: - "Military News" - "Tactical" - "Technology" - "Weapons" tags: - "Iran" - "News" - "Weapons" --- # The US is using Iran’s own ‘one-way’ suicide drone against Iran ![Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones are positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operating area, Nov. 23. The LUCAS platforms are part of a one-way attack drone squadron CENTCOM recently deployed to the Middle East to strengthen regional security and deterrence. (Courtesy Photo)]() *Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command operating area, Nov. 23, 2025. (Courtesy Photo)* Some call them "kamikaze" drones, evoking the image of Japanese suicide attacks on the U.S. Navy toward the end of World War II. The U.S. military seems to prefer the unintentionally hilarious term "[one-way]()" drone. No matter what you call it, America's newest weapon, dubbed the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS drone, is now being employed for the first time ever, [according to The War Zone](). **Also Read: [America’s ongoing quest to stop firing $4 million missiles at $30,000 drones]()** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRCIg5ftZvs The real irony of the LUCAS drone being deployed against Iran for its debut as an American weapon is not that a country with a [nearly $1 trillion military budget]() is using a relatively cheap option to degrade a military adversary. The irony is that Iran developed the drone, the U.S. just copied it, and is now using it against the Islamic Republic. Since the Cold War, the United States has spent untold billions developing complex and technologically advanced weapons systems, using anything from lasers to hypersonics to a nuclear reactor-powered nuclear bomber, designed to fly forever and kill using radiation. But tactics developed by both sides of Russia's invasion of Ukraine have changed the face of regional warfare. One of the biggest developments was an Iranian-made, rocket-launched, [autonomous munition]() that could be carried to the battlefield on the back of a truck: the [Shahed 136](). The suicide drone first made itself known during the Kharkiv offensive of 2022. Ukrainian troops soon realized that its loud "moped" like engine could be heard just before a Shahed strike. While susceptible to small arms fire due to its low-altitude flight, the Shahed is able to detonate near aircraft, making shootdowns unfeasible. ![A Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) launches from the flight deck of the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) while operating in the Arabian Gulf, Dec. 16, 2025. Prior to the launch, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s Shipboard Weapons Integration Team validated that the ship could safely store, move, and handle the system at sea. Task Force 59 operated the LUCAS drone as part of Task Force Scorpion Strike operations. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kayla McGuire)]() *A Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) launches from the flight deck of the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara, Dec. 16, 2025. (U.S. Army/Spc. Kayla McGuire)* Using surface-to-air defenses against them is incredibly costly [in both money and munitions](), and the drones can inflict outsized damage when striking their targets. But the United States didn't capture a Shahed drone to reverse engineer one of its own in secret. That was done openly by Arizona defense firm [SpektreWorks](), which created an American version of the Shahed to build targets [for anti-drone training exercises](). There are some differences. The American version is lighter and costs less per unit to produce. They are the cheapest missiles in the U.S. arsenal and have twice the explosive power of a Hellfire missile. ![Nick Fancher, a Shipboard Weapons Integration Team weapons logistics analyst, and Rob Pavel, a logistician with Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, conduct shipboard weapons integration work in support of the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System aboard USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32). SWIT validates that weapons systems can be safely stored, moved, and handled at sea prior to operational use. LUCAS later successfully launched from the ship’s flight deck Dec. 16, 2025, as part of Task Force Scorpion Strike operations while operating in the Arabian Gulf. (Courtesy photo)]() *The Shipboard Weapons Integration Team support the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) aboard USS Santa Barbara. LUCAS later successfully launched from the ship’s flight deck Dec. 16, 2025, as part of Task Force Scorpion Strike.(Department of Defense)* “CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike—for the first time in history—is using one-way attack drones in combat during Operation Epic Fury,” U.S. Central Command said in a [statement](). “These low-cost drones, modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution.” In another bit of military irony, the first LUCAS drone was test-launched from the USS Santa Barbara in December 2025—in the Persian Gulf. ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty **• [Lessons Learned: How Iran was able to bruise the US Navy’s 5th Fleet]()** **• [The God-Switch: What Elon Musk’s Starlink can actually be used for]()** **• [Operation Eagle Claw: The story behind the failed hostage rescue in Iran]()** ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()