LUCAS's Coming Out Party

It's been what, a couple thousand years or so since the Persians had a military invention of their own? They were overdue.

It is D+3, and there is one part of Operation Epic Fury that keeps popping up to top-of-mind for me, the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS).

First of all, like I said Sunday, BZ to the staff weenie(s) who came up with that acronym for the best blatant copy-job by the U.S. military since the Springfield 1903 looked at Mauser and said, “Nice gun you have there.”

Let’s go back to this announcement from around Christmas time that I’m a little pouty did not come into my scan at the time.

Centcom launched Task Force Scorpion Strike four months after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed acceleration of the acquisition and fielding of affordable drone technology. The task force is designed to quickly deliver low-cost and effective drone capabilities into the hands of warfighters.

The new task force has already formed a squadron of low-cost unmanned combat attack system drones.

These drones, deployed by Centcom, have an extensive range and are designed to operate autonomously. They can be launched with different mechanisms including catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and mobile ground and vehicle systems.

"This new task force sets the conditions for using innovation as a deterrent," said Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, Centcom commander. "Equipping our skilled warfighters faster with cutting-edge drone capabilities showcases U.S. military innovation and strength, which deters bad actors."

In September, Centcom launched the Rapid Employment Joint Task Force led by its chief technology officer to fast-track processes for outfitting deployed forces with emerging capabilities.

The joint task force is coordinating innovation efforts among service components in three focus areas: capability, software and technological diplomacy.

Task Force Scorpion Strike's efforts to build the one-way attack drone squadron are led by personnel from U.S. Special Operations Command Central and align with the joint task force's capability focus area.

I cannot find a firm description where the attacks were launched from. Some rumors were that they were fired from a LCS, but I have not seen anything official to that end. I think they might be confused with the pics of USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) doing a test launch in the Arabian Gulf on Dec. 16, 2025.

CENTCOM could barely hold in the news on the first day of strikes.

I think everyone is proud not just of the swift timing of it all, but the trollish nature of the capability.

The V‑shaped LUCAS drones, developed by SpektreWorks, are reverse engineered Shahed-136, Iranian drones which have been used extensively by Russia in Ukraine and by Iranian‑backed militias across the Middle East.

This is when we need to pause and soak it all in.

People made fun of it when it first appeared, until they saw what it was. Heck, I still call it the “flying lawnmower” (though there is a jet powered version now).

When you look at it holistically, this is an impressive weapon. Yes, it is slow, has a small warhead, and does not have any fancy construction materials in its construction, but that is also its strength. No one expects it, so it is hard to defend against. We’ve had to create new weapons off of old platforms just to find a way to economically defend against them.

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Because of its performance in the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Russians are making a clone. Now the USA is as well. We’re not even paying royalties.

The math is what is so powerful.

Howard Altman over at TWZ has a real solid summary on the same day.

The LUCAS drones are designed to be a far less expensive strike weapon than missiles, which not only cost more, but are far more difficult and time-consuming to produce.

“Costing approximately $35,000 per platform, LUCAS is a low-cost, scalable system that provides cutting-edge capabilities at a fraction of the cost of traditional long-range U.S. systems that can deliver similar effects,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, told TWZ back in December. “The drone system has an extensive range and the ability to operate beyond line of sight, providing significant capability across CENTCOM’s vast operating area.”

The math.

A TLAM costs, what, about $2 million each. The Block V $2.5 million? That means you can buy 71 LUCAS for ~the cost of at TLAM.

Want to shoot one down? Don’t even look at a Patriot missile, heck a NASAMS air defense missile is the AIM-120 AMRAAM. That’s $1 million a pop. You can’t have aircraft with the high-demand/low-density anti-drone Hydra rockets all over the place either.

It only goes ~100 knots. So. OK, this isn’t a first strike weapon…but it is a strike weapon…one you can send in swarms. Even with its relatively small warhead, it will ruin your fuel farm, ship, warehouse, or vacation home it if gets there.

With large numbers, you can strike a wide variety of second and third tier targets or those that are not time-critical, forcing your opponent to either spread already limited defensive assets thinly, or simply allow those targets to be hit. It will force its defensive fighters in the air…or again…force them to take the hits.

Whoever that Iranian design team is, well done folks. You approached the problem from a unique perspective and the world is copying you.

Let’s get back to the LCS rumor. I’m not content with one launched off the stern. Oh no. This is what I want to see.

How many of these containers can we fit on the back of an Independence Class LCS? How many can you fit and still fly a helo off it?

How many of these can be carried on a resupply ship? Can they be transferred at sea for expeditionary reloads?

Is there any way to leverage the stern door and mission bay?

There are what, five LUCAS in each container? That isn’t even a standard length container either.

If you can get five containers on the ship, that gives you 25 LUCAS to send downrange.

Depending on how a DDG might have their 90 to 96 VLS cells loaded out, that might be a DDG’s worth of TLAM.

Can you keep the container and simply reload it with LUCAS in the back of the bay, stacked up like so many Battlestar Galactica Cylon Raiders in a Basestar? That would probably get you even north of 25.

How many commercial ships can be converted into auxiliary cruisers with their decks full of these? Modify them. Make them USS, and man them from within the USNR.

You see how I’m tying a whole series of threads we’ve discussed over the years here?

In summary, more. I want more.

BZ to Task Force Scorpion. Now let’s scale this.