For the first time, the United States used its own analogue of «Shahed» against Iran»
The United States used the new LUCAS barrage munition for the first time in real combat conditions during Operation Epic Fury against targets in Iran. Confirmation of the system's use was made public by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) after a series of strikes.
Details of the operation
According to the US military, the targets were infrastructure facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in particular:
control points,
air defence positions,
launchers,
military airfields.
The strikes were carried out by new generation kamikaze barrage drones.
What you need to know about LUCAS
The LUCAS (Low-Cost Unmanned Aerial Strike System) is considered to be the US response to Iran's Shahed-136 and Russia's Geranium-2.
The drone is based on the FLM 136 training target, which was previously used to train air defence systems to repel such attacks.
Despite its lower take-off weight of about 82 kg, the vehicle retains a range of up to 800 km. Its warhead is estimated to weigh about 18 kg. According to the developers, it may exceed the power of a Hellfire missile.
The key advantage is the cost
One of the main characteristics of LUCAS is its relatively low price - about $35,000 per unit. This makes it possible to use the system as a massive strike force to saturate enemy air defences.
Experts note that the appearance of LUCAS in combat conditions may indicate the US transition to a wider use of cheap barrage munitions in high-intensity conflicts.
Ukrainian
English
