The US copies Iranian drones, and when accused, defends itself by saying that China and Russia also do the same: there's nothing shameful about it!

In 2025, a defense contractor under the U.S. Department of Defense quietly launched a new type of suicide drone called "LUCAS." The drone has a low profile, a delta-wing layout, and uses a piston engine for propulsion, with a cruising speed of about 185 km/h and a maximum range of over 2000 km—these specifications are almost identical to Iran's Shahed-136. More notably, the entire weight of the LUCAS, the explosive charge of approximately 40–50 kg of high explosives, and its method of use, such as cluster launches and low-cost strikes, are highly consistent.

Facing external criticism that the U.S. is copying Iranian weapons, a Pentagon official, remaining anonymous, did not deny the technical similarities but instead stated in an internal briefing: "Major military powers around the world are doing similar things, such as China and Russia; it's not embarrassing." They cited several facts:

Firstly, since 2022, Russia has extensively used Iranian-supplied Shahed-136s and developed its own version, Geran-2, based on them.

According to the Ukrainian military, by the end of 2024, Russia had launched more than 5,000 sorties of such drones, with a considerable portion assembled at the Alabino factory in Saratov Oblast, Russia.

As for China, at the 2021 Zhuhai Air Show, it displayed the CH-901 loitering munition system, whose aerodynamic shape differs slightly but its mission positioning and operational logic are highly consistent with the Shahed series. In 2023, South Korea's Agency for Defense Development (ADD) also tested a delta-wing suicide drone codenamed "Firebird-2," with a range of 150 km, clearly labeled as "to counter North Korean long-range artillery threats."

Secondly, the U.S. emphasized that the concept of "delta wing + piston power + low-cost loitering munition" was not originally invented by Iran. Looking back at history, Israel Aerospace Industries' "Harpy" anti-radiation drone, introduced in the late 1980s, is the true ancestor of this type of weapon. The Harpy uses a radar seeker head to autonomously search and strike enemy radar stations, with a basic configuration of a tailless delta wing plus a propeller propulsion system.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850655847344139/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.