THE Pentagon will “flip the script on Iran” by sending a squadron of kamikaze attack drones to the Middle East.
Iran’s supreme leader will soon get a taste of his own medicine when the American mass produced drones reach their targets.
The design of the deadly long-range, low-cost drones is an improvement on the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 which have been used by Iran against Israel and by Russia against Ukraine.
The “first-of-its-kind” deployment is part of the new Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS) announced by US Central Command on Wednesday.
Developed by Arizona-based SpektreWorks in cooperation with the US military, the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones are about 10 feet long with a wingspan of eight feet and cost just $35,000 each.
Reports say they are a more effective military option at a much lower price point than the deployment of manned fighter aircraft.
The US Military is “taking a page from [Iran’s] playbook and throwing it back at them”, an anonymous official told TWZ.
“In essence, Iran enjoyed overmatch and an advantage through the high volume of drone attacks they were able to effectively deploy, and they are hard to defend against at such a high volume.”
To date, TFSS has not employed its LUCAS drones in real combat operations, but they have been launched at test targets in the region to demonstrate their capabilities, according to the official.
“We are shoring up our defence, and a good defence can sometimes be a good offense, as well,” they said.
Able to travel long distances, the LUCAS drone is also designed to operate autonomously and can be launched from catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and mobile ground and vehicle systems.
Iran’s one-way Shahed drones, capable of carrying explosives over long distances, have been used by Iran to target Israel, while Russia has purchased large quantities of them to launch large swarm attacks against Ukraine.
It comes as top officials showcased an Iranian-made Shahed-136 drone launched by Russia in Speaker’s House at the House of Commons.
This weapon, acquired from Ukraine by UANI, has never before been showcased in Europe.
Officials warn the destructive weapon is the “true face of the Ayatollah” – and serves as a striking warning of the growing threat to the continent’s security.
The drones, branded the modern-day equivalent of the notorious World War Two era Nazi V-1 flying bomb, otherwise known as the “Doodlebug”, have been used by Russia against Ukraine since October 2022 – and mass production started within months.
And the drones prove a nightmare for enemies, with a low production cost lending itself to mass production in a bid to overwhelm anti-missile defence systems.
One Shahed-136 costs up to £38,000 – a huge contrast to the cost of a 9M728 Iskander K cruise missile at up to £1.5million.
With a maximum speed of 180km/h and a range of up to 2,500km, the drones explode when smashing into targets.
But officials today warned drones like these could be headed for the UK’s airspace.
MP Tom Tugendhat, senior advisor to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and former Minister of State for Security, told The Sun: “That’s exactly what we were preparing for and I’m sure that the current government are continuing to prepare for.
“The reality is these weapon systems are not just targeting Ukraine, they’re not just targeting Poland. They’re being built to intimidate us.
“Mohammad-Javad Larijani, who’s one of the principal spokesmen for the Ayatollah of Iran, has made it clear that one of the intentions of developing these weapon systems is to threaten Europe.
“We need to make sure that our country is secure and our country is safe.”
