The US often accuses China of copying its weapons platforms. However, in a reversal of sorts, the US has not only copied the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones but also deployed them in the Middle East in a not-so-subtle message to Tehran.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a new task force, Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS), for the US military’s first one-way attack drone squadron based in the Middle East.
The TFSS was established four months after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed the acceleration of the acquisition and fielding of affordable drone technology. TFSS is designed to quickly deliver low-cost and effective drone capabilities into the hands of the US military.
The Task Force Scorpion Strike has formed a squadron in the Middle East that will use drones called Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS).
However, the CENTCOM statement did not divulge where the squadron will be based in the Middle East.
LUCAS – A Shahed-136 Replica
Notably, the LUCAS drones are a replica of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones. LUCAS was developed after developers reverse-engineered a Shahed drone from Iran, which the US captured a few years ago, a US defense official said.
LUCAS drones deployed by CENTCOM have an extensive range and are designed to operate autonomously. They can be launched with different mechanisms to include catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and mobile ground and vehicle systems, CENTCOM said in a press statement.
Unveiled in July this year, at the Pentagon, LUCAS has been developed by Arizona-based defense contractor SpektreWorks. It is designed to provide a scalable and affordable option for tactical drone warfare, much like the Shaheds.
The triangular delta-wing LUCAS drone is roughly 10 feet long and has an 8-foot wingspan. Its delta-wing design is optimised for long-range loitering.
Nonetheless, it differs significantly in terms of engineering and versatility. Powered by a two-cylinder DA-215 engine (215 cm³), LUCAS contrasts with the Shahed’s four-cylinder Limbach L550E clone, providing enhanced fuel efficiency and a reduced acoustic signature.
Its modular, open architecture accommodates various payloads, including reconnaissance sensors, electronic warfare modules, and explosive warheads, thereby facilitating adaptability across a wide range of mission profiles.
Furthermore, LUCAS accommodates various launch methods, including Rocket-Assisted Take-Off (RATO) and truck-based deployment, thereby facilitating rapid utilisation by personnel with limited specialisation. It can also be deployed on ships.
In contrast to the single-use Shahed-136, LUCAS can be reused in specific configurations, such as reconnaissance missions, thereby improving its cost efficiency. It operates on 28V and 12V power supplies, supporting a wide range of payloads.
Its Multi-domain Unmanned Systems Communications (MUSIC) mesh network enables autonomous swarm operations and network-centric strikes. Additionally, this network permits LUCAS to serve as a communication relay, a vital capability in contested environments where conventional communication channels may be disrupted.
LUCAS costs around USD 35,000 per piece, making it a low-cost, scalable system that provides cutting-edge capabilities at a fraction of the cost of traditional long-range US systems.
When the drone was unveiled, many commented on its apparent similarities to the Iranian Shahed-136 and Russian Geran-2 drones, which are used extensively in the Ukraine War and are themselves based on the Shahed-136.
“Designed by a US defense startup, it’s virtually identical to Iran’s ‘Shahed-136’ and Russia’s ‘Geran-2’ UAVs,” RT.com said in a post.
In August, the Eurasian Times reported that the US Air Force (USAF) had asked the industry to produce identical copies of the Shahed-136 drone to develop and test defenses against the Iranian-designed system.
According to the Request for Information (RFI), the USAF wanted to buy 16 of these Shahed-136 lookalikes, with the option to buy 20 more at a later stage, to test the ‘next-generation’ of its counter-drone systems against these threats.
“The United States Government (USG) intends to purchase approximately 16 counter Unmanned Aerial System (cUAS) drones to support the next generation of cUAS weapons program development and integration.
“To support weapons development and integration of these weapon systems, the USG requires that the Class 3 Unmanned Aerial Target System be a 1:1 copy (form, fit, and function) of a reverse-engineered Shahed-136 suicide drone,” the solicitation said.
The RFI also mentioned that adversarial countries are currently using the Shahed-136 drones, underscoring that the US considers the Iranian-designed drones a significant threat and is trying not only to develop such capabilities itself but also to boost its defenses against them.
“This acquisition aims to leverage drones representative of the Shahed-136, which is currently used by adversarial countries and is being encountered in multiple areas of operation,” it added.
The Russian Geran-2 (Shahed) drones form the bulk of the Russian drone assaults on Ukraine. Russia is also boosting its production of Geran-2 drones.
The Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, approximately 1,100 km (620 miles) from the Ukrainian border, hosts a major Shahed assembly plant. In July, Moscow released a grisly video of the drone factory, showing rows and rows of matt-black “Geran-2” drones, the Russian-built version of the Iranian-designed Shahed 136.
Inside Russia’s Geran-2 drone factory in Tatarstan
Rare footage reveals the Alabuga plant’s mass production of tens of thousands of deadly kamikaze drones
Designed to attack in relentless swarms — 'Gerans' punch through Ukraine’s defenses — outmaneuvering even F-16s pic.twitter.com/5bghxrtRPl
— RT (@RT_com) July 20, 2025
The USAF RFI said that the Iranian Shahed-136 drones are “utilized by the Russians in Ukraine,” are “difficult to detect, fly low, and descend to one hundred meters before hitting the target.”
The Shahed Drones In The Ukraine War
The Shahed-136 drones are a notorious piece of Iranian engineering. Their terrain-hugging flight paths and carbon-fibre bodies are hard to detect.
It’s challenging to shoot them down from the ground. By the time a helicopter or fighter jet detects them, closes in, and fires, several critical — sometimes fatal — minutes have already passed.
Ukraine is still struggling to find a reliable, long-term solution for the Russian Geran-2 drones, which are a replica of Iranian Shahed drones.
The Geran-2 drones have emerged as Moscow’s weapon of choice in the Ukraine War.
However, the Shahed drones have also been used against the US military by Iran and its proxies in the Middle East.
For instance, in January last year, three US Army soldiers were killed, and more than 30 service members were injured when a Shahed-136 drone attacked a US military outpost in Jordan.
Furthermore, many countries, including China and North Korea, are also developing their own one-way attack drones, primarily based on the Iranian Shahed-136 drones.
This is 🇨🇳China’s version of the Geran-2 Drone, The Feilong-300D Suicide Drone, a low cost-High performance drone, and the future of combat.
It carries a High-explosive warhead, and has a range of over 1000km in just a cost of $10,000 USD. pic.twitter.com/XZBEGW1AoK
— PLA Military Updates (@PLA_MilitaryUpd) November 2, 2025
The Chinese LOONG M9, a new loitering munition from LOONG UAV, closely resembles the Iranian Shahed-136. Similarly, the Feilong-300D Suicide Drone also shows more than passing similarity to the Shahed-136.
Even within the US, another firm, Griffon Aerospace, has been developing a drone, the MQM-172 Arrowhead, based on Shahed-136.
🇺🇸🦅 A new U.S.-made version of Shahed kamikaze drone — MQM-172 Arrowhead. pic.twitter.com/dSOr7VoHF9
— MAKS 25 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) August 8, 2025
The LUCAS deployment in the Middle East sends a clear message to Iran that not only has the US developed similar low-cost, scalable, hard-to-detect, long-range, one-way attack drones, but they have reached the operational stage, and the US military feels confident enough to deploy them in Iran’s own backyard.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
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