U.S. Establishes Task Force to Employ One-Way-Attack Drones in Middle East
February 27th, 2026Via: The Aviationist:
The U.S. military will employ Shahed-like One-Way-Attack (OWA) drones in the Middle East with the establishment of a new task force. On Dec. 3, 2025, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) launched Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS), which will oversee the U.S. military’s first OWA drone squadron.
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The unnamed squadron assigned to TFSS, which will operate the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones, is currently based in the Middle East at an undisclosed location. CENTCOM says the drones have an extensive range and are designed to operate autonomously.
The command further adds they can be launched with different mechanisms to include catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and mobile ground and vehicle systems. This capability removes the dependency on runways normally associated to unmanned aircraft like the MQ-9 Reaper.
