The United States deployed a low-cost suicide drone modelled on Iran’s widely used Shahed loitering munition during Saturday’s strikes on Iran, marking its first combat use in the region, Business Insider has reported. In a statement following the operation, Centcom confirmed that its Task Force Scorpion Strike employed the Lucas drone in combat for the first time. The command later noted that the system was modelled on Iran’s Shahed drone -- a weapon that has been extensively used by Russia in its war against Ukraine and by Iranian-backed groups across the Middle East. The Lucas drone was one of several systems deployed in Saturday’s US-Israeli operation against Iran. The US military stated that its forces had “successfully repelled hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.”

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 01, 2026 15:30 UTC