What is LUCAS? The US-built version of Iranian drone used in Op Epic Fury

The United States (US) military has for the first time used long-range kamikaze drones, built with Iranian loitering munition technology, in combat during Operation Epic Fury against the Islamic country, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The drones, known as Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS), were used during a coordinated US-Israel “pre-emptive strike” launched over the weekend against Iranian military infrastructure.

LUCAS is a one-way attack drone, also called a loitering munition or “kamikaze drone,” designed to fly toward a target and detonate on impact.

It’s modelled on the Iranian Shahed-136, the same class of unmanned strike drones Tehran has exported, which Russia has used in Ukraine and Iran-aligned forces have used across the Middle East.

According to Central Command officials, this marks the first combat use of LUCAS drones, reflecting how the US armed forces are adapting to a battlefield environment shaped by low-cost, high-volume drone warfare.

Unlike other multi-million-dollar cruise missiles or high-end strike aircraft, LUCAS drones are designed to be cheap, expendable and produced in large numbers. Defence officials have estimated unit production costs at around $35,000 each, a fraction of traditional precision munitions.

“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 US systems that can deliver similar effects,” Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, told a US-based web publication, The Wire Zone (TWZ), 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,” TWZ cited Hawkins as saying.

A US official described the LUCAS as capable of “autonomous coordination,” allowing multiple drones to operate together in swarm formations and execute network-centric strikes, enabling advanced tactics and target engagement while ensuring human operators remain in the decision-making loop.

Some variants are also equipped with satellite communication systems, enhancing range, connectivity and real-time battlefield adaptability.

The drone offers flexible launch options, including catapult systems, rocket-assisted takeoff and deployment from mobile ground platforms and vehicles.

US officials have also acknowledged that the LUCAS drone’s core architecture draws directly from Iran’s Shahed-136 loitering munition.

The use of reverse-engineered drones reflects how drone warfare has evolved globally, with the US adopting Iran’s playbook of using cheap, one-way drones to saturate defences and strike deep targets.