In a move that marks a significant shift in U.S. military doctrine, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Wednesday the formation of the first operational unit of suicide-attack drones in the Middle East.
The new unit, named Task Force Scorpion Strike, relies on low-cost LUCAS drones, which is a drone inspired by the Iranian Shahed-136 that Russia has used in the Ukraine war.
A senior CENTCOM military official, responding in writing to questions from Alhurra, said the unit was created “to accelerate delivery of new unmanned combat capabilities to warfighters,” with the goal of “equipping our forces with emerging technologies that deter malign actors.”
He noted that the LUCAS platform is “a low-cost, scalable system that can be rapidly modified for a wide range of missions. It can be ground-launched through multiple mechanisms and offers long range and beyond-line-of-sight operation, giving us added capabilities across the entire region.”
Why Now?
The timing of the announcement cannot be dissociated from the broader context of regional escalation.
In the months following October 7, Iran and its proxies repeatedly targeted U.S. bases across the region. One such attack on a military outpost in Jordan killed three American soldiers.
The Houthis escalated drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and in 2024, Iran launched around 170 drones toward Israel—most of which were intercepted.
This string of attacks reinforced a clear lesson for Washington: its adversaries are no longer relying solely on traditional missiles, but increasingly on swarms of cheap, expendable
That’s why, based on the same logic, the Pentagon is betting on a similar weapon, but with American technology and for deterrence purposes.
Lessons From the Drone Wars
The shift to rely on drones became unmistakable in Ukraine war. At first, Turkish Bayraktar drones stood out for their precision. But their high cost and visibility to Russian air defenses diminished their impact over time.
As the war intensified, both sides turned to small, low-cost drones that can be manually modified with minimal resources. For instance, duct tape was used to attach grenades or mortar shells to amateur commercially available drones.
That’s how regular soldiers– even civilian volunteers, became improvised drone operators, dropping munitions on trenches and vehicles.
At the peak of this trend, Iranian Shahed drones, supplied by Tehran to Moscow in large quantities, emerged as an efficient weapon. Priced between $20,000 and $50,000, they were used to strike Ukrainian energy facilities—and, more importantly, to flood air defenses with waves of cheap targets.
A development that begged the question:
Is it logical to fire a $3–4 million air-defense missile to shoot down a $50,000 drone?
This tactic of depleting air defenses has become embedded in modern warfare, inspiring actors from Russia to Iran and its proxies, all the way to smaller armed groups.
A Low-Cost Weapon With Strategic Reach
According to defense websites, LUCAS was developed by an Arizona-based U.S. company called “SpektreWorks”, after studying the Shahed-136 drone.
CENTCOM’s official statement simply described it as a “low-cost, long-range system” without naming the manufacturer.
However, a Pentagon official told CNN that development began after the U.S. military obtained a Shahed-136 several years ago. What started as an effort to study the Iranian drone eventually became an American redesigned system using reverse engineering and enhanced technology.
LUCAS drones do not require runways. They can be launched from vehicles or simple ground platforms. According to a CENTCOM official, they can carry an explosive payload and fly along a programmed path—or under limited operator supervision—before diving onto the target and detonating.
With long range and beyond-line-of-sight capability, and equipped with advanced navigation systems, these drones can strike distant targets deep into enemy territories at a fraction of the cost of manned aircraft or larger unmanned systems.
Where Will They Be Deployed?
CENTCOM has not revealed where this new squadron is based, stating only that it is stationed in the Middle East and capable of rapid deployment across all areas of CENTCOM’s theater, according to the military official.
Most likely, the drones will be operated by joint units that integrate personnel from different branches of the U.S. military, enabling flexible deployment from multiple bases depending on threats development.
Amid rising drone and missile attacks by Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Yemen, LUCAS offers a relatively low-risk offensive tool for a swift and calibrated response without putting pilots at risk or relying on expensive missiles.
The Era of Low-Cost Weapon Systems
The balance of power in modern warfare is tilting toward low-cost, expendable systems. Air superiority is no longer solely defined by advanced fighter jets, but increasingly by the ability to produce and deploy swarms of cheap yet operationally effective drones.
For Washington, Task Force Scorpion Strike is an early test of this new direction in the Middle East.
If the system proves effective, we may see similar units deployed in other theaters of operation.
Ezat Wagdi Ba Awaidhan
Ezat Wagdi Ba Awaidhan, a Yemeni journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Washington, D.C., holds a master's degree in media studies.
