U.S. CENTCOM launches multinational one-way attack drone task force in Middle East

Published Aug 14, 12:15 AM UTC

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the creation of Task Force Falcon Strike (TFFS), described as the first multinational attack drone task force. The task force will integrate one-way attack drones from air, sea, and underwater domains, operated by U.S. and regional partner forces. The announcement comes amid paused U.S.-Iran combat but continued Houthi attacks on shipping and concerns over U.S. standoff weapon stockpiles. TFFS builds on Task Force Scorpion Strike, a U.S.-only drone squadron established in December. CENTCOM noted that Scorpion Strike achieved several firsts, including the first use of LUCAS kamikaze drones and the first use of an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) as an attack weapon in July. The new task force will also employ uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) as attack weapons, following Ukraine's first-ever UUV attack on a Russian vessel. CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper stated the task force will scale attack drone capabilities across the Middle East into a unified multinational deterrent. SOCCENT will lead the task force's staff.