One-way attack dronecombat-provenpartial data
LUCAS (Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System)
FLM 136 (target drone parent design)
A low-cost US one-way attack drone modelled on the Iranian Shahed-136, launched in numbers to strike targets at long range.
$35,000 Approximate per-unit figure reported by Military Times and TWZ (about $35,000 per platform); not a published contract average.
| Maker | SpektreWorks |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Built | United States (SpektreWorks, Arizona) |
| First combat | 28 February 2026, strikes on Iran (Operation Epic Fury), confirmed by US Central Command |
| Length | 3 m |
| Span | 2.4 m |
| Launch weight | 82 kg |
| Warhead | 18 kg |
| Max range | 805 km |
| Propulsion | 215 cc carburetted piston engine driving a propeller |
| Guidance | Autonomous GPS-based navigation; some units carry Starlink terminals for beyond-line-of-sight control |
| Launcher | Catapult, rocket-assisted takeoff, or truck and vehicle launchers; launched from the littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara in December 2025 |
LUCAS is a spinoff of SpektreWorks' FLM 136 target drone, itself reverse-engineered from a captured Shahed-136. Range is about 500 miles per Military Times; the FLM 136 is advertised at 444 miles (about 715 km), 6 hours endurance, 74 knot cruise (137 km/h) and 105 knot dash (194 km/h), but TWZ says it is unclear whether those figures carry over to LUCAS, so speeds are left blank. The 18 kg figure is the 40 lb payload capacity reported by Military Times; in December 2025 the Army said the production warhead had not yet been built and tests used inert payloads. OSINT researchers claim earlier use in Venezuela on 3 January 2026, which the US has not confirmed.
Sources (13)
- Military Times: US confirms first combat use of LUCAS one-way attack drone in Iran strikes (28 Feb 2026) (first_combat)
- Defense News: CENTCOM launches new suicide drone attack force in Middle East (4 Dec 2025) (maker)
- Military Times ("Arizona-based SpektreWorks") (built_where)
- TWZ: U.S. deploys Shahed-136 clones to Middle East (roughly 10 ft long) (length_m)
- TWZ: U.S. deploys Shahed-136 clones to Middle East (8 ft wingspan) (span_m)
- Military Times (180 lb maximum takeoff weight) (launch_weight_kg)
- Military Times (40 lb payload) (warhead_kg)
- Military Times (around 500 miles) (range_km)
- Asia Times: Iranian drone clone now a US Central Command weapon (Dec 2025) (propulsion)
- TWZ: U.S. military has used long-range kamikaze drones in combat for the first time (Starlink terminals) (guidance)
- DVIDS: US Navy in Middle East employs attack drone at sea for first time (Dec 2025) (launcher)
- TWZ: about $35,000 per platform (unit_cost_usd)
- US Army: LUCAS tested at Yuma Proving Ground (Dec 2025), inert payloads, warhead not yet built (notes)
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