Lucas Tested; Drone Whose Design Was Influenced by Iran

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced that the country’s Fifth Fleet successfully launched a one-way attack drone from a ship at sea for the first time on December 16. The operation was carried out by the Independence-class warship USS Santa Barbara, and the drone launched was the low-cost unmanned combat attack system known as LUCAS.

According to Rokna, U.S. military officials described the launch as an operational milestone. The commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command stated that this marks the first successful launch of the LUCAS drone from a U.S. Navy vessel and plays a significant role in the rapid delivery of affordable unmanned capabilities to operational forces.

U.S. Central Command had earlier announced in early December the deployment of the first squadron of one-way attack drones of the U.S. military to the Middle East. The LUCAS drone, which took off from the flight deck of the USS Santa Barbara, is part of a squadron known as Scorpion Strike, formed with the objective of employing new combat tools in the region.

The report further states that these drones have an extended operational range and can be launched using various methods, including rocket-assisted takeoff, ground-based systems, and mobile vehicle-mounted platforms.

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced that the area of responsibility of this naval unit covers approximately 2.5 million square miles of maritime regions, including the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, media reports indicate that the drone was developed by a U.S. company based in the state of Arizona and, in terms of design, bears similarities to some well-known regional drones.