Viral Video Shows Locals Fiddling With Alleged Intact US LUCAS Kamikaze Drone In Iraq As Iran-US War Escalates

A video is going viral online showing a group of men in Iraq messing around with what looks like an American kamikaze drone.

The clip, shared by @bayraktar_1love, shows local Iraqis handling an almost undamaged American LUCAS drone, one of those so-called suicide drones the US recently sent over.

Video: Local Iraqi residents fiddle with INTACT Lucas

“Local Iraqi residents are taking the newly deployed, nearly intact American LUCAS drone for themselves,” the X post said.

The drone in the video has a delta-shaped design, looking just like the US Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), according to reports.. You see two men holding it, laughing and joking around. Daily Jagran said they couldn’t confirm if the video’s real or not.

People online had plenty to say. Sebastien Roblin (@sebastienroblin) commented, “LUCAS is meant to be expendable, but weird to lose one before reaching Iran is curious. Doesn’t look like it was hit by a kinetic attack. Perhaps an EW exploit involving pro-Iran militias?” Another user, Serdar Aydoğan (@DarDarTwit), pointed out, “Iranians had begun drone production by reverse-engineering American drones. Now they complete the areas where they lagged behind with those they captured in this conflict.”

What Is Intact LUCAS? 

LUCAS stands for Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System. It’s a one-way US attack drone, sometimes called a kamikaze or suicide drone. The design is actually inspired by Iran’s Shahed-136 drone, which the US basically reverse-engineered.

LUCAS drones are cheap, can fly long distances on their own (without a pilot guiding them), work in swarms, and explode when they hit their target.

This video showed up just as US and Israeli forces ramped up attacks on Iran, which led Tehran to strike back at American bases all over the Middle East. During these airstrikes, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials were reportedly killed.

Donald Trump posted a video online announcing that the US had started “major combat operations in Iran.”

He said Iran’s still working on its nuclear program, trying to build missiles that could reach the US, and urged Iranians to overthrow their government, saying, “Take over your government, it will be yours to take.”

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