The U.S. has launched a one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East through U.S. Central Command, including a new task force to oversee the effort.
"This new task force sets the conditions for using innovation as a deterrent," Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, wrote in a release posted to X. "Equipping our skilled warfighters faster with cutting-edge drone capabilities showcases U.S. military innovation and strength, which deters bad actors."
Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS) was created four months after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered an accelerated push for low-cost drone acquisition.
The unit has already assembled a squadron of low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones.
"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 U.S. systems that can deliver similar effects," CENTCOM spokesperson Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins told The War Zone (TWZ) on Wednesday.
"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 noted the one-way attack squadron is a pointed warning to Iran in the region.
"LUCAS drones deployed by CENTCOM have an extensive range and are designed to operate autonomously," CENTCOM added in a press release. "They can be launched with different mechanisms to include catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and mobile ground and vehicle systems."
TFSS operates under the broader Rapid Employment Joint Task Force (REJTF), established in September to streamline the fielding of emerging technologies.
The new drone squadron effort is led by personnel from Special Operations Command Central and supports REJTF's focus on rapidly delivering new capabilities to deployed forces.
The drone initiative comes as drone swarms have reshaped modern warfare.
Drone swarms are coordinated groups of unmanned aerial vehicles that can overwhelm defenses, strike with precision, and change the balance of power in modern conflicts, evidenced in the Russia-Ukraine war.
"The war has reached another inflection point in how drones are being used, both at the front line and in the strike campaigns being conducted by Russia and Ukraine," Michael Kofman, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The New York Times this summer.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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