[US-Iran War] US to Mass-Produce LUCAS Suicide Drones for Attacks on Iran

U.S. Department of Defense: "Now Capable of Large-Scale Production"

The United States has announced that it will begin mass production of suicide drones, which were recently used in attacks against Iran, within the country.

Major foreign media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), reported on the 17th (local time), citing senior officials from the U.S. Department of Defense, that the U.S. is planning the mass production of the 'LUCAS' attack drone.

The LUCAS drone, which stands for Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, is manufactured by the American company SpectreWorks. This drone is a U.S.-made replica of Iran's Shahed drone and is currently deployed and operated across the Middle East. The U.S. Department of Defense dispatched units operating these drones to the Middle East prior to the airstrikes on Iran.

Emil Michael, Deputy Under Secretary for Research and Engineering at the U.S. Department of Defense, stated at an industry conference in the U.S. on the same day, "We have continuously improved our drone manufacturing technology over just a few years, and we have now reached a level where we can mass-produce them." He added, "So far, they are working very well," describing the drone as "a useful tool in our arsenal."

He revealed that SpectreWorks has already manufactured dozens of these drones. However, the U.S. military did not disclose how many LUCAS drones have been used in actual combat.

The price of each LUCAS drone is estimated at $55,000 (approximately 80 million won), with an operational range exceeding 740 kilometers.

Iran has carried out attacks throughout the Middle East using Shahed drones in retaliation for airstrikes by the United States and Israel. The Iranian government has been producing these drones for years and has also exported them to Russia. Russia is using these drones to strike both military and civilian targets in Ukraine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.