Pentagon Begins Mass Production of Iranian Drone Copies

The U.S. Department of Defense plans to commence mass production of the LUCAS strike drones, which are already being utilized by American forces in the Middle East. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing U.S. officials.

The drones are produced by SpektreWorks and are considered the American version of the Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze munitions. Pentagon leadership notes that these systems play a crucial role in current military operations.

Emil Michael, the deputy undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, stated at a conference in Washington that the objective of the program is to facilitate large-scale production of such devices domestically, while also providing backup manufacturing capabilities. He mentioned that LUCAS drones demonstrate high efficiency and are already being used as a practical asset in military arsenals.

The cost of a single LUCAS drone is estimated at around $55,000, with a flight range that can exceed 740 kilometers. It is anticipated that these will partially replace significantly more expensive cruise missiles, which can cost several million dollars.