U.S. Army Develops LUCAS Drone Tactics to Disable Warships and Hunt Mobile Missile Launchers.

The U.S. Army is developing operational concepts to use LUCAS long-range, one-way attack drones against enemy warships and mobile ballistic missile launchers, expanding its ability to conduct low-cost, precision strikes against high-value military targets. The approach focuses on using relatively inexpensive drones to disable critical naval systems, disrupt enemy missile operations, and create opportunities for U.S. air and naval forces to penetrate heavily defended areas.

A U.S. military LUCAS (Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System) one-way attack drone launches from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) in the Arabian Gulf, demonstrating its potential for ship-based long-range precision strike operations. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War/Defense)

In the Pacific, the U.S. Army is examining how LUCAS drones and similar attack drones could damage enemy warships without necessarily sinking them. Striking radar arrays, communications equipment, fire-control systems, or other essential sensors could temporarily neutralize a vessel's combat effectiveness, reducing its ability to detect incoming threats, engage hostile targets, or coordinate defensive operations. This approach, known as a mission kill, could allow American forces to degrade enemy naval capabilities without requiring the complete destruction of a warship.

The operational objective is to create temporary gaps in an adversary's anti-access and area-denial network. By disabling selected systems aboard enemy vessels, the U.S. Army could help open opportunities for U.S. Navy carrier strike groups and U.S. Air Force bombers to enter contested maritime areas. A comparatively inexpensive drone that disables a warship's radar or fire-control equipment could potentially remove a much more expensive combat vessel from an engagement, at least temporarily, creating a significant operational effect at relatively low cost.

Related Topic: U.S. Deploys Combat Proven LUCAS FLM 136 Loitering Munition for Low-Cost Strike Saturation

The U.S. Army has already begun incorporating long-range one-way attack drone employment into training with the 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. The instruction covers maintaining, launching, and coordinating these weapons within larger military operations. This development represents an initial step toward integrating expendable long-range attack drones into joint strike operations alongside artillery, intelligence assets, and more advanced precision-guided weapons.

The War Zone reported these developments on October 16, 2026, in an article by Joseph Trevithick and Howard Altman covering discussions at the AUSA 2026 annual meeting in Washington. Maj. Gen. Bernard Harrington, commander of the 7th Infantry Division and Multi-Domain Command-Pacific, explained how operational modeling is examining attacks intended to disable enemy warships. Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter, commander of Multi-Domain Command-Europe, described potential applications of long-range attack drones and other launched weapons against Russian missile systems.

Harrington outlined how coordinated use of unmanned surface vessels, one-way attack drones, and other long-range weapons could deliver enough destructive effects to weaken enemy naval defenses. The concept prioritizes damaging vulnerable equipment rather than penetrating a warship's hull or sinking the vessel. A successful strike against critical sensors could reduce the ship's ability to contribute to a larger naval formation, potentially affecting the effectiveness of its surrounding defensive network.

This distinction matters in the Western Pacific, where Chinese warships operate alongside land-based missiles, aircraft, surveillance networks, and integrated air defenses. Disabling a ship's radar or communications equipment could temporarily interrupt the flow of targeting information and reduce its contribution to coordinated defensive operations. The resulting disruption could give U.S. forces an opportunity to strike with more powerful weapons.

LUCAS, or Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, is an American-developed one-way attack drone produced by Arizona-based SpektreWorks and derived from a configuration similar to the Iranian Shahed-136. The delta-wing unmanned aircraft uses a piston engine and rear-mounted propeller to carry an explosive payload over extended distances. Its related FLM-136 design measures about 3 m long, has a 2.5-meter wingspan, and can carry a payload of about 18 kg. Published FLM-136 specifications indicate a range of up to approximately 820 km, although the performance of operational LUCAS variants has not been fully disclosed. With a reported unit cost of around $35,000, the weapon offers a relatively inexpensive option for long-range precision attacks.

LUCAS has already entered U.S. military combat service. U.S. Central Command introduced the weapon in the Middle East in late 2025, and American forces first employed it against Iranian targets during Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28, 2026. Its combat deployment demonstrated the U.S. military's ability to use this category of inexpensive long-range attack drone, although it has not publicly demonstrated effectiveness against modern warships and mobile ballistic missile launchers.

The U.S. military is also improving LUCAS by integrating Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy software, intended to support more coordinated operations involving multiple drones. Such capabilities could eventually let groups of unmanned aircraft adapt their flight paths and coordinate missions with less dependence on continuous operator control. However, their effectiveness against sophisticated electronic warfare and air defense systems still requires further development and testing.

In Europe, the U.S. Army is examining similar long-range weapons to counter Russian mobile ballistic missile forces. Carpenter identified the Russian SS-26 Stone (Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile system) and the older SS-21 Scarab (Tochka) as potential targets. These road-mobile missile systems can threaten NATO military installations, logistics hubs, and command centers while using mobility to complicate detection and targeting.

The Russian 9K720 Iskander-M has a commonly reported range of about 500 km and can relocate after striking. Using long-range attack drones against its launch vehicles could give the U.S. Army additional options to disrupt Russian missile operations before further launches. However, such missions would require reliable intelligence, accurate targeting information, resistance to electronic interference, and sufficient explosive power to disable or destroy the launcher.

Carpenter emphasized the need for extended range, resistance to electromagnetic interference, and sufficient warhead effectiveness for these missions. He also referred to other emerging strike weapons, including Covenant's Anthem, indicating that the U.S. Army is considering a broader range of long-range attack systems rather than relying exclusively on LUCAS. Different weapons would provide commanders with options suited to the protection, mobility, and distance of individual targets.

The military value of these relatively inexpensive drones lies in their potential to generate substantial operational effects without consuming large numbers of costly precision-guided missiles. A drone carrying a comparatively small explosive payload may not sink a major surface combatant, but damaging exposed radar equipment, communications antennas, or other mission-critical components could temporarily prevent that warship from performing its assigned combat role. The cost difference between the attacking drone and the affected naval vessel could make such missions attractive, provided enough drones survive enemy defenses to reach their targets.

Nevertheless, modern warships operate with layered air defenses, electronic warfare equipment, and weapons designed to counter incoming aerial threats. Similarly, Russian mobile missile launchers can rapidly relocate and are difficult to engage without timely intelligence. These limitations mean that the U.S. Army's proposed missions will depend not only on drone availability and affordability but also on targeting accuracy, survivability, payload effectiveness, and coordination with other military capabilities.

The emerging operational concepts reflect an expansion of the U.S. Army's role in joint long-range strike operations. In the Pacific, LUCAS-type drones could help degrade Chinese naval defenses and create temporary opportunities for U.S. carrier strike groups and bombers. In Europe, long-range one-way attack drones and other launched weapons could strengthen operations against Russian missile forces. Although LUCAS is already combat-proven against targets in Iran, its proposed use to disable enemy warships and destroy mobile ballistic missile launchers remains an evolving military concept whose effectiveness against these more demanding targets has yet to be established.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.