US launches multinational drone task force with allies in Middle East
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The task force will have one-way attack drones capable of attacking from above, on, and below the sea. Photograph: (X)
The unit, named Task Force Falcon Strike, will have one-way attack drones consisting of unmanned systems from above, on, and below the sea. They will be operated by military support staff from the United States and regional partners.
The US military on Thursday announced the launch of a first-ever multi-domain, multinational attack drone task force to develop one-way attack drones that can be used “above, on, and below the sea” with its Middle East partners.
The unit, named Task Force Falcon Strike, will have one-way attack drones consisting of unmanned systems capable of attacking from above, on, and below the sea. They will be operated by military support staff from the United States and regional partners.
The announcement of Falcon Strike’s launch comes nine months after CENTCOM established Task Force Scorpion Strike, the US military’s first dedicated one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East.
Scorpion Strike rapidly achieved key milestones, including the first-ever launch of an aerial attack drone from a US Navy warship last December. The squadron also employed one-way unmanned aerial systems during Operation Epic Fury and during strikes on Iranian port facilities in July using unmanned attack vessels at sea.
‘Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike’s success’
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“Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike’s success given the tremendous innovation happening among our regional allies and partners,” Adm. Brad Cooper, US Central Command commander, said in a statement.
“Integrating and deploying our new capabilities together will help us rapidly realize the new possibilities that are on the horizon.”
The personnel from US Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT), which launched Scorpion Strike, will lead Falcon Strike’s staff of US and regional partners.
SOCCENT, which is headquartered at the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, plans and conducts special operations across CENTCOM’s 21-country area of responsibility in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia.
The US has tried to ramp up drone development and manufacturing operations amid the war with Iran since the battlefield changed dramatically, led by developments in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
Kyiv has sent drone interceptors and pilots to the Middle East to help US allies defend against the same types of Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia used to attack Ukraine’s cities.
In May, the two countries agreed in a memorandum of understanding that would allow Ukraine to export military technology to the US and to manufacture drones in joint ventures with American companies.
The US has not announced the names of specific countries that will be part of the new task force.
CENTCOM said it has initiated the process of consulting with and officially inviting regional partners.
Task Force Falcon Strike will scale attack drone capabilities across the Middle East into a unified multi-domain, multinational deterrent.
“The United States military has a lot of strong partnerships and friends in the region,” said Cooper. “We are collectively stronger when we integrate and deploy new capabilities together.”
