'One-way attack drone' debut: How did US turn Iran’s Shahed playbook against Tehran in Operation Epic Fury?

In a first for the United States military, suicide drones modelled after Iranian systems were used in combat during Operation Epic Fury. Known as the Low‑Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS), the one‑way attack drones were deployed against multiple targets across Iran as part of the joint US–Israel strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The coordinated strikes carried out on Saturday by forces from the United States under US President Donald Trump and Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, targeted key Iranian military assets and resulted in the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with several senior Iranian figures. The IDF claimed it had killed 40 senior commanders, including Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, although full details have not been released.

The operation saw US and Israeli forces unleash a mix of advanced and cost-effective weaponry, combining next-generation fighter jets, long-range cruise missiles and low-cost autonomous drones in a coordinated strike that marked a significant escalation in both scale and strategy against Iran. Iran Shahed drones are known for their extreme cost-effectiveness, mass-production capability, and ability to saturate air defenses.

“CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike — for the first time in history — is using one-way attack drones in combat during Operation Epic Fury. These low-cost drones, modelled after Iran’s Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution,” CENTCOM said in a post on X. The drones appear to match the LUCAS (Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System) model manufactured by Phoenix, Arizona-based SpektreWorks. The deployment marks the first confirmed combat use of an American-made kamikaze UAV, said the Pentagon.

LUCAS drones were used to strike Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command hubs, air defences, missile and UAV launch sites, and military airfields across Iran. The one‑way drones are designed to detonate on impact, unlike reusable UAVs, and complement longer‑range weapons such as cruise missiles and fighter aircraft.

While Iranian Shahed‑136 drones use GPS to guide strikes against buildings and military sites, the US‑built LUCAS is significantly lighter and can be launched by catapult or with rocket assistance. The price of the LUCAS is around $35,000 each, and intended for production by multiple manufacturers to enable a strategy of “affordable mass” in modern warfare.

The use of LUCAS drones reflects a broader US and allied emphasis on uncrewed systems following their extensive deployment in other conflicts. The concept of low‑cost, expendable attack UAVs has gained traction since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pushing militaries towards large inventories of relatively inexpensive offensive systems.