The United States deployed a low-cost suicide drone modelled on Iran’s widely used Shahed loitering munition during Saturday’s strikes on Iran, marking its first combat use in the region, Business Insider has reported.
According to the report, the drone -- known as the Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or Lucas -- was used by US Central Command (Centcom) as part of a newly formed task force established to expand the deployment of inexpensive unmanned weapons in the Middle East.
In a statement following the operation, Centcom confirmed that its Task Force Scorpion Strike employed the Lucas drone in combat for the first time.
The command later noted that the system was modelled on Iran’s Shahed drone -- a weapon that has been extensively used by Russia in its war against Ukraine and by Iranian-backed groups across the Middle East.
Developed by US engineering firm Spectreworks, LUCAS is classified as a loitering munition -- a drone designed to hover over a target area before detonating on impact.
The system features a delta-wing design similar to the Shahed platform and can be launched from catapults, vehicles, and mobile ground stations.
According to the US Navy, the drone is equipped with rocket-assisted take-off capability and has a “significant” operational range.
Business Insider reported that the Lucas program is part of the Pentagon’s broader effort to expand production of low-cost unmanned systems, a priority under the Trump administration aimed at strengthening US competitiveness against Russia and China in drone warfare.
Suicide drones such as the Iranian Shahed and Russia’s version, known as the Geran-2, have played a prominent role in modern conflicts.
In Ukraine, such systems have caused widespread damage to urban centers and critical infrastructure.
In the Middle East, Iranian-backed groups have used similar drones to target US forces, Israeli assets, and commercial shipping.
The Lucas drone was one of several systems deployed in Saturday’s US-Israeli operation against Iran.
A US official told Business Insider that Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from naval vessels, while ground forces employed Himras rocket systems.
The report added that additional classified weapons and air assets were involved in the operation, codenamed “Epic Fury.”
In response to the joint strikes, Iran launched a large-scale missile barrage targeting US bases across the region.
Major installations in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates were among those reportedly hit.
US officials said American and allied air defense systems -- including MIM-104 Patriot batteries, Thaad systems, and ship-launched Standard Missile interceptors -- were activated to counter the assault.
The US military stated that its forces had “successfully repelled hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.”
