Israel-Iran conflict: US to unleash reverse-engineered version of Shahed-136 drone against Tehran

An Iranian Shahed exploding drone

• US and Israel launch joint attacks on Iran amid nuclear tensions
• Iran's Shahed drones hit near Dubai's Palm Jumeirah, Burj Khalifa
• US copies Iran's Shahed drone, deploying low-cost LUCAS drones

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After the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran early Saturday, Tehran's Shahed drones struck locations near Dubai's Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Khalifa in the UAE. US and Israel's attack on Iran came after days of build-up with US President Donald Trump ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme.

Iran's destructive drone attacks on Saturday showed why the Pentagon was interested in the Shahed in the first place. On Friday, Bloomberg had reported that in Iran, Washington is doing something it once might have considered beneath it: copying the Shahed drone and aiming it back at Tehran.

Maths behind US' decision to deploy cheap attack drone copied from Iran

Russia and Iran have for years used kamikaze drones to hit targets, including in Ukraine. Now Bloomberg has reported that the Pentagon has confirmed the establishment of Task Force Scorpion Strike, a kamikaze drone unit equipped with aircraft modeled directly on Iran's Shahed-136 — the loitering munition that has struck US forces across the Middle East and flattened neighborhoods across Ukraine.

The drones are produced by Arizona-based SpektreWorks, which reverse-engineered the Iranian design to build America's own version, formally called the Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS.

The math tells the story. Iran's Shahed costs roughly $35,000 per unit. America's MQ-9 Reaper costs $30 million. For years, that gap has allowed cash-strapped, sanction-riddled Iran to wage war on the cheap while the US burned through expensive platforms that were increasingly hard to justify. Task Force Scorpion is Washington's admission that the model has to change.

"The US is behind the curve when it comes to lowering the cost per shot," said Becca Wasser, defense lead for Bloomberg Economics. "No longer can the US expect to win a fight with expensive and exquisite weapons — it must also embrace low-cost systems like affordable drones it can reuse, or accept losing."

The unit is now part of the largest US military buildup in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, ordered by President Trump to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, even as both sides continue negotiations in Geneva. Task Force Scorpion is operationally ready, and officials say it would be among the assets available should Trump order strikes on Iran.

With a 40-pound payload, the LUCAS drones cannot crack hardened targets. But analysts say that may not matter. "This force would be an effective way to attack softer, distributed targets in Iran like missile production facilities, road networks and missile launch sites," said Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute. "Iran doesn't have much of an air defense network anymore, so they may not be able to shoot down many."

The Shahed was born from sanctions and scarcity. Its greatest unintended consequence may be that it taught America exactly how to fight back — using Iran's own blueprint.

Iranian drone hitting Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, causing a large explosion. #dubai#Tehran#Trumppic.twitter.com/gkmv8hnKZN

— War Footagez (@warfootagez) February 28, 2026