US debuts LUCAS Kamikaze drones in combat during Iran strikes; CENTCOM confirms no US casualties as death toll tops 200

The United States has deployed its newly developed Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones in combat for the first time, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed, as part of a broad air campaign against Iran this weekend.

The drones were launched during Operation Epic Fury, according to CENTCOM, marking their operational debut. While US officials have released limited information about the broader strike campaign, the military confirmed that the one-way attack drones were employed in the opening phase of the assault.

“The first hours of the operation included precision munitions launched from air, land, and sea. Additionally, CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat,” CENTCOM said.


According to Task and Purpose website, the LUCAS system is notable because it is modeled on Iran’s Shahed-136 drone, a one-way attack system that has been used extensively in recent conflicts. Both LUCAS and Shahed drones were fired over the past day, according to analysts monitoring the escalation.

The full scale of destruction inside Iran remains unclear. Earlier, the Iranian Red Crescent reported that more than 200 people had been killed. Iranian retaliatory strikes targeted US bases and several Gulf nations, though CENTCOM said no American troops were injured and that damage to US installations was minimal.

Samuel Bendett, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security specializing in drone warfare and autonomous military systems, said it is still unclear exactly how the LUCAS drones were integrated into the operation. However, he emphasized their strategic value.

“LUCAS drones used in this engagement are much cheaper than comparable missiles, have an equal or greater range than many US missiles, and allow for loitering capability to strike targets at an appropriate time,” he said according to Time and Purpose website.

The United States has increasingly invested in loitering munitions, influenced by their effectiveness in the Ukraine war and the widespread use of Iranian-made one-way attack drones in the Red Sea and against US bases in 2024, prompting Washington to accelerate development of its own low-cost kamikaze systems.

Though designed as low-cost alternatives to traditional missiles, such drones can travel significant distances. The Shahed has a range of several hundred miles, and LUCAS is believed to offer similar reach. Bendett noted that deploying these systems is “much cheaper than firing a comparable missile.”