Ukraine is helping the U.S. catch up with modern warfare — for now

Even as the Pentagon designs new tactics and tech based on lessons from Ukraine—like the new attack drones it is testing—some say the United States is still undervaluing its relationship with Kyiv.

​​Take the Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS, a one-way attack drone modeled on wrecked Russian Shahed-136s recovered by Ukrainian troops. Developed by Arizona-based SpektreWorks, the LUCAS appeared earlier this year in a Pentagon courtyard display of new programs funded by DOD’s research and development office. Officials touted LUCAS’ open architecture, which simplifies its use in surveillance, reconnaissance, and communication with other drones. A poster quoted Donald Trump: “I’m talking about something for $35,000 to $40,000, we can send thousands of them up…They’re very good, too. Fast, and deadly. Horrible, actually, when you look at what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine.”

CENTCOM has now deployed a squadron of LUCAS drones for one-way attack missions and, along with the Army, is testing it for other types of operations. A CENTCOM official said tests had been going on for weeks in several locations, but declined to confirm what a foreign intelligence official at one of the sites told Defense One: that several of the drones had veered off course, blown up upon launch, or even failed to launch at all. CENTCOM did say such reports were not characteristic of the broader effort. 

Read more at Defense One