U.S. Media: U.S. Military Plans Large-Scale Replication of Iranian Suicide Drones

Source: Global Times
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On March 17, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington that senior officials from the U.S. Department of Defense stated that the Pentagon hopes to mass-produce a type of Iranian suicide drone for use in the conflict against Iran.

The report mentioned that this drone is called "Lucas," a copy of Iran's "Shahed" drone. The U.S. military deployed the "Lucas" drone in the Middle East at the end of last year, but did not disclose the number of drones that have been put into combat.

The report cited the words of Emil Michael, the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, saying that the "Lucas" drone has performed very well so far and has proven to be a useful tool in the arsenal. The U.S. has made improvements to this drone over the past few years, "and has enabled it to be mass-produced."

Michael stated that the U.S. company "Phantom Factory" has manufactured dozens of "Lucas" drones.

The report did not disclose the production cost of this drone. (End)

Classification
Region
West Asia
Analytical Domain
Operational
Primary Category / Secondary Categories
Weapons & Equipment / Military Operations
Subcategory
New Weapon System
SALUTE Report
Size
Dozens of Lucas drones
Activity
The U.S. Department of Defense plans to mass-produce a drone modeled after an Iranian suicide drone for military operations against Iran.
Location
Middle East
Unit
U.S. Department of Defense
Time
Reported on March 17, 2023
Equipment
Lucas droneIranian Shahed drone
Summary

The U.S. Department of Defense plans to mass-produce the Lucas drone, a replica of Iran's Shahed suicide drone, for military operations against Iran. The drone has been deployed in the Middle East since late 2022 and has demonstrated effective performance. Improvements have been made to facilitate large-scale production, although the production costs remain undisclosed.

Key Facts
  • The U.S. plans to mass-produce the Lucas drone, modeled after Iran's Shahed drone.
  • The Lucas drone has been deployed in the Middle East since late last year.
  • The drone has shown good performance and is considered a useful tool in the U.S. arsenal.
  • The U.S. has made improvements to the drone to enable mass production.
  • The production cost of the drone has not been disclosed.