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DefDex

Munition · Air

LUCAS

Low-cost one-way attack drone modeled on the Iranian Shahed, built by SpektreWorks.

by SpektreWorks · Unveiled Jul 2025

Limited fieldingMunitionAirCombat useFeb 28, 2026
LUCAS drone launching from USS Santa Barbara over the Arabian Gulf.

Photo: U.S. Army / Spc. Kayla Mc Guire · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Army) · Resized and reencoded as WebP; no additional crop or retouching. Credit retained for factual editorial product coverage.

Milestones20252026
  1. UnveiledShown publicly at the Pentagon, reported
  2. FieldedFirst one-way attack drone squadron deployed to the Middle East, confirmed
  3. MilestoneFirst launch from a ship at sea, confirmed
  4. Combat useFirst combat use in strikes on Iran, reported

About LUCAS

Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, a one-way attack drone derived from SpektreWorks' FLM 136 target drone. The government owns the design; U.S. forces deployed it to the Middle East in late 2025 and first used it in combat in February 2026.

Timeline4

  1. UnveiledReported

    Shown publicly at the Pentagon

    LUCAS was displayed in the Pentagon courtyard during a drone showcase for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

  2. FieldedConfirmed

    First one-way attack drone squadron deployed to the Middle East

    U.S. Central Command announced on Dec. 3, 2025 the deployment of Task Force Scorpion Strike, a LUCAS squadron.

  3. MilestoneConfirmed

    First launch from a ship at sea

    USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) launched a LUCAS in the Arabian Gulf.

  4. Combat useReported

    First combat use in strikes on Iran

    U.S. Central Command confirmed LUCAS drones were used in the Feb. 28, 2026 strikes on Iran.

The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

Operators1

  • USUnited States
Combat use
Documented · First combat use in strikes on Iran (Feb 28, 2026)