U.S. Central Command announced on Thursday that it is expanding the scope of its one-way attack drone force to include other countries and new types of drones that operate at sea and underwater.
The new “Task Force Falcon Strike” is the “first-ever multi-domain, multinational attack drone task force,” the Pentagon stated.
It follows Task Force Scorpion Strike’s use of loitering munitions, commonly referred to as kamikaze or one-way drones, against Iran.
“Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike’s success given the tremendous innovation happening among our regional allies and partners,” stated Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
“Integrating and deploying our new capabilities together will help us rapidly realize the new possibilities that are on the horizon,” he stated.
Iran has proven adept at using low-cost Shahed drones to inflict damage at long ranges across the region without the complicated and vulnerable infrastructure required to manufacture and launch ballistic missiles.
In response, the United States developed the Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, a reverse-engineered version of the Shahed. The LUCAS could play an increasingly important role in the Iran war amid reports that the United States is suffering from a shortage of some types of precision munitions and missile interceptors.
The Trump administration has denied those reports. U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that the United States has “massive amounts” of munitions.
In its announcement on Thursday, CENTCOM did not say what other countries, if any, have actually joined the Falcon Strike task force. (JNS sought comment from the Pentagon.)
“CENTCOM has initiated the process of consulting with and officially inviting regional partners,” CENTCOM stated.
