US ‘Lucas’ in response to Iran’s ‘Shahed’ drone: Trump family involved in new drone war

There has been a major change in modern warfare tactics. Along with expensive fighter jets or missiles, low-cost drones are now becoming one of the main weapons on the battlefield. Amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the Iranian-made kamikaze drone HESA Shahed 136 has come into the spotlight again. Although this drone is relatively inexpensive, military analysts believe that its effectiveness in the battlefield is much higher.

The construction cost of this Iranian-made drone is usually between 20 and 50 thousand dollars. However, to counter it, the United States often has to use state-of-the-art MIM-104 Patriot missiles, each of which costs about 4 million dollars. This cost disparity is considered a major strength of Iran’s so-called “asymmetric warfare” strategy.

In this context, the United States has also developed a new drone that is effective at a low cost, called LUCAS FLM-136. The full name is “Florida Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System”. Each Lucas drone is estimated to cost around $35,000, which is believed to be able to compete with Iran’s Shahed drone in terms of cost and effectiveness.

The drone was developed by Arizona-based technology company SpearWorks. It weighs about 81.5 kg, which is much lighter than the Shahed drone. The Lucas drone can fly at an altitude of about 15,000 feet and can stay in the air for up to six hours at a speed of about 194 kilometers per hour.

The Iranian military claims that the United States and Israel are using such drones to attack various locations in the Middle East. They allege that they are trying to blame Iran for these attacks because they look a lot like the Shahed drone.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order called “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” to strengthen the drone industry. Its goal is to make the United States the leader in global drone technology.

As part of this initiative, Trump's sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have entered into a major business venture with drone manufacturer Powersaeros. According to the plan, drone production in the United States will be increased several times.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth claimed that Iran is gradually losing its dominance in drone technology and that US control over the airspace is gradually strengthening. The United States Department of Defense has already requested the urgent supply of about 300,000 low-cost drones from various companies in the country.

According to analysts, this low-cost drone competition could change the nature of future wars and add a new dimension to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.