US military launches multi-country, kamikaze drone force

U.S. Central Command announced Thursday that it is expanding its one-way attack drone force to include allied countries and new drone types designed for maritime and underwater operations.

The new "Task Force Falcon Strike" Represents the "first-ever multi-domain, multinational attack drone task force," According to the Pentagon.

The announcement builds on Task Force Scorpion Strike, which has deployed loitering munitions - commonly known as kamikaze or one-way drones - in operations against Iran.

"Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike's success given the tremendous innovation happening among our regional allies and partners," Said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. "Integrating and deploying our new capabilities together will help us rapidly realize the new possibilities that are on the horizon," He added.

Iran has effectively employed low-cost Shahed drones to conduct long-range attacks across the region, avoiding the complex infrastructure needed for ballistic missile manufacturing and deployment.

In response, the United States developed the Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, a reverse-engineered version of the Shahed drone. The LUCAS system could become increasingly significant in regional operations amid reports of potential shortages in certain precision munitions and missile interceptors, though the Trump administration has disputed these claims. President Donald Trump stated earlier this month that the United States possesses "massive amounts" Of munitions.

CENTCOM's Thursday announcement did not specify which countries have joined the task force. "CENTCOM has initiated the process of consulting with and officially inviting regional partners," The command stated.