US Central Command announced this week that it has launched Task Force Scorpion Strike, the U.S. military’s first one-way attack drone squadron based in the Middle East.
The new task force was formed four months after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Pentagon to accelerate acquisition and fielding of affordable drone technology. The squadron is already operational and equipped with Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones.
Reverse-Engineered Iranian Drones
The LUCAS drones appear to be modeled on Iran’s Shahed-136, the same drone Iran has provided to Russia by the thousands to strike Ukraine. After facing continuous drone attacks by Iran and its proxies over the last two years, the U.S. military reverse-engineered the design to create its own version.
The Iranian Shahed-136 is a simple, cheap drone with long range and a warhead that allows it to fly directly into targets. It operates autonomously without a “man-in-the-loop” and behaves more like a cruise missile or the German V-1 flying bomb from World War II than a traditional surveillance drone.
What Makes LUCAS Different
According to CENTCOM, the LUCAS drones have extensive range and are designed to operate autonomously. They can be launched using different mechanisms including:
- Catapults
- Rocket-assisted takeoff
- Mobile ground systems
- Vehicle-mounted systems
The drones are developed by SpektreWorks, an Arizona-based defense contractor, and were recently selected for the U.S. Army’s Applied Small UAS Prototype Innovation Transition (APFIT) program.
Why This Matters
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, said the task force “sets the conditions for using innovation as a deterrent.”
“Equipping our skilled warfighters faster with cutting-edge drone capabilities showcases U.S. military innovation and strength, which deters bad actors,” Cooper said.
The initiative supports the Rapid Employment Joint Task Force (REJTF), which is led by Central Command’s chief technology officer to fast-track emerging capabilities to deployed forces. Task Force Scorpion Strike’s efforts are led by personnel from Special Operations Command Central.
The Bigger Picture
The U.S. has been attempting to rapidly acquire more drones, putting up billions of dollars in funding to keep pace with other countries. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated that modern militaries need hundreds of thousands of small drones.
Iran has been building drones since the 1980s, and in the last decade their capabilities have grown exponentially. Iranian drones have been trafficked to Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and elsewhere. Some have ranges of up to 2,000 kilometers.
While Iran’s drones lack the sophisticated satellite communications and other high-tech systems found in American and Israeli drones, their simplicity makes them cheap to produce. This has met Russia’s needs in Ukraine and helped groups like the Houthis spread terror in the Middle East.
Israeli and Iranian Design Heritage
Iran’s delta-wing drone design was originally modeled on Israeli success in this field. Israel’s IAI has produced the Harpy and Harop drones over the last decades—sophisticated systems designed to target high-value targets like radar installations to blind enemy command and control.
Iran wanted a cheap knockoff. The U.S. now appears to be taking that knockoff and improving on it.
The Open Questions
It remains unclear how CENTCOM will use these drone squadrons. Will they swarm enemies? Which enemy will they target? Potential adversaries in the region include Iran and its proxies.
Cheap one-way attack drones aren’t necessarily effective against terror groups. They’re better suited against infantry in trenches or enemy vehicle columns—similar to the “Highway of Death” where Iraqi vehicles were destroyed leaving Kuwait in 1991, but without needing warplanes.
The big question is whether these drones will have more capabilities than the Iranian versions and whether they can achieve swarming capabilities using AI and autonomous systems. If CENTCOM can develop those capabilities, Task Force Scorpion Strike could point the way forward in the emerging drone-dominated future of warfare.
