Inside LUCAS: The $35,000 US kamikaze drone now used in US-Israel-Iran war

The United States has deployed a new class of low-cost attack drones for the first time in combat, marking a shift in how the US military approaches drone warfare. The platform, known as the LUCAS drone, is being used as part of a broader US military campaign in the Middle East. 

Here is an explainer on what the system is, why it matters, and how it is being used. 

What is the LUCAS attack drone? 

The Low‑cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) is a low-cost, one-way attack drone developed by the US defense startup SpektreWorks. 

• It is designed as a “kamikaze” or loitering munition, meaning the drone is intended to crash into a target and detonate. 
• The platform is V-shaped and relatively lightweight. 
• It is built for mass production and rapid deployment, making it cheaper and more scalable than many traditional US precision weapons. 

The drone was unveiled in late 2025, and the latest deployment marks its first operational use in combat. 

Where is it being used? 

The drones are currently being used by United States Central Command as part of Operation Epic Fury, also referred to as Operation Roaring Lion. 

The system is being operated by Task Force Scorpion Strike, a unit established to accelerate the fielding of inexpensive drone technology for frontline forces. 

According to CENTCOM, this marks the first time the US military has used one-way attack drones in combat in this way. 

Why the US built the LUCAS drone 

The LUCAS platform is reverse-engineered from the Iranian-designed Shahed‑136, which has been widely used by Russia in the Russia‑Ukraine War and by Iranian-backed militias across the Middle East. 

These drones have demonstrated a key advantage: they are cheap and easy to produce in large numbers. 

By building its own version, the US military aims to: 

• Counter adversaries using similar drones 
• Deploy large swarms of inexpensive weapons 
• Reduce reliance on expensive precision missiles 

US officials say the system allows American forces to respond with “low-cost retribution” in drone-heavy battlefields. 

Key specifications 

The LUCAS drone is derived from the FLM‑136 target drone model developed by SpektreWorks. 

Important characteristics include: 

• Range: about 500 miles (800 km) 
• Payload: up to 40 pounds of explosives 
• Maximum takeoff weight: roughly 180 pounds 
• Estimated cost: about $35,000 per drone 

The explosive payload is estimated to deliver roughly twice the yield of a Hellfire missile, according to defense analysts. 

How the drone is launched 

The LUCAS system is designed to be flexible in deployment, allowing it to be launched from multiple platforms: 

• Ground-based catapults 
• Rocket-assisted takeoff 
• Vehicle-mounted launchers 
• Naval platforms 

In December, a LUCAS drone was successfully launched from the USS Santa Barbara (LCS‑32), an Independence-class littoral combat ship, during an exercise in the Arabian Gulf. 

Why it could change drone warfare 

The introduction of the LUCAS drone reflects a broader shift in US military strategy: 

• Moving from small numbers of expensive weapons to large numbers of inexpensive drones 
• Matching tactics used by adversaries such as Iran and Russia 
• Enabling swarm attacks and sustained operations at lower cost 

At around $35,000 per unit, the system is far cheaper than many US precision munitions, potentially allowing the Pentagon to deploy hundreds or thousands of drones in a single campaign.