The U.S. is already using LUCAS strike drones quite effectively against Iran. These drones are essentially copies of the Shahed drones. However, their stockpiles are currently quite limited, amounting to only a few dozen.
According to Defense Scoop, this was reported by thе Pentagon's chief technology officer Emil Michael. According to him, the drones have not yet reached full-scale production.
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As a result, production is still far from tens of thousands. Nonetheless, despite the limited units delivered so far, these weapons have shown high effectiveness.
From Defense Express we would like to note that the Americans are effectively acknowledging that their drone production is still very limited. In other words, this "low-cost" option may still be less accessible than conventional missiles and ammunition.
At the same time, it is not surprising, since the LUCAS was only introduced in July 2025. It is being promoted as a way to deliver long-range strikes that will be widely available and affordable, at roughly $55,000 per unit or less.
By early December 2025, the first squadron had already been deployed to the Middle East. At that time, it was revealed that the drones were not equipped with a warhead. It was also noted that no such warhead existed at all.
However, despite this, the U.S. managed to use LUCAS for strikes against Iran. In other words, they managed to resolve the issue to some extent. In addition, a certain number of UAVs had been manufactured and were available for use.
With the war against Iran ongoing, it will be difficult to build up a stockpile of strike drones, since they are being used continuously. However, production rates are set to continue rising, driven by reports of their high effectiveness.
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