Iran said on Monday that its air defences had shot down a US-manufactured LUCAS one-way attack drone over the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, as Washington and Tehran exchanged another wave of strikes across the Gulf.
The aircraft was “accurately hit and shot down”, Iranian authorities said, without disclosing the weapon used for the interception or providing independently verifiable imagery of the wreckage. The United States had not confirmed the loss of a drone at the time of publication.
Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan province and Iran’s main naval hub near the Strait of Hormuz, was shaken by at least two powerful explosions early on Monday. The blasts were reported shortly before the US Central Command announced that American forces had completed another series of attacks on Iranian military targets.
The LUCAS, an acronym for Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, is an expendable strike drone developed by Arizona-based defence contractor SpektreWorks. It was designed as an inexpensive weapon capable of being deployed in large numbers against air defence sites, radar stations, launch facilities and other fixed targets.
Each aircraft is estimated to cost about $35,000, far less than conventional cruise missiles and many interceptor weapons. The delta-wing design closely resembles Iran’s Shahed-136 drone, reflecting Washington’s effort to field a low-cost system inspired by the weapons used extensively by Iran and Russia.
The drone can carry about 18 kilograms of explosives and may be launched from land vehicles, ships or other mobile platforms. Its modular architecture allows operators to alter communications, navigation and mission systems, while networked controls permit several aircraft to be coordinated during a single operation.
The Pentagon publicly displayed the system in July 2025 and deployed an operational squadron to West Asia later that year. American forces first confirmed its combat use against Iranian targets in February, making the weapon a central element of Washington’s push towards cheaper, mass-produced unmanned systems.
Monday’s reported interception came as the United States expanded its bombing campaign following attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. American forces said they struck about 140 targets, including missile positions, drone facilities, radar systems, ammunition sites and small military vessels.
No US personnel were reported killed in the latest Iranian retaliation, while Washington said the attacks caused no significant damage to its main installations. Iranian claims of successful strikes on several airbases could not be independently confirmed.
Tehran responded with coordinated missile and drone operations against facilities hosting American forces in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its attacks struck Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan and military facilities at Ali Al Salem and Ahmed Al Jaber airbases in Kuwait.
Iran said the Bahrain operation targeted a drone command centre, an aircraft hangar and helicopter maintenance installations. It also claimed that fuel storage facilities, Patriot air defence equipment and a strategic radar system had been destroyed in Kuwait. Authorities in the affected countries reported limited damage and continued to assess the attacks.
Emergency sirens sounded across Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, prompting the Interior Ministry to tell citizens and residents to remain calm, move to the nearest safe location and follow instructions through official channels. Similar alerts were issued in Kuwait as air defence systems tracked incoming aerial targets.
The fighting has placed Gulf states in an increasingly difficult position. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan host American military personnel and equipment but have sought to avoid becoming direct parties to the confrontation. Iranian strikes on installations within their territory have widened the geographical scope of the conflict and increased pressure on their governments to strengthen civilian protection measures.
The escalation has also intensified uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes. Iran says the waterway is closed and under its control, while the United States maintains that shipping lanes remain open and that its forces will safeguard freedom of navigation.
