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The US Central Command has announced that a new taskforce utilising the US military’s first one-way attack drone squadron will be based in the Middle East.
The new Task Force Scorpion Strike has already formed a squadron of low-cost unmanned combat attack system drones, assisted by US Special Operations Command Central and launched four months after US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed acceleration of the acquisition and fielding of affordable drone technology.
The one-way attack drones, deployed by CENTCOM, reportedly have an extensive range and are designed to operate autonomously after they are launched with different mechanisms, including catapults, rocket-assisted take-off, and mobile ground and vehicle systems.
“This new taskforce sets the conditions for using innovation as a deterrent,” CENTCOM commander Navy Admiral Brad Cooper said.
“Equipping our skilled warfighters faster with cutting-edge drone capabilities showcases US military innovation and strength, which deters bad actors.”
In September, CENTCOM launched the Rapid Employment Joint Task Force led by its chief technology officer to fast-track processes for outfitting deployed forces with emerging capabilities.
In addition earlier this month, the US Department of War has requested information for the potential production of 300,000 drones from defence industry.
“Next year I expect to see (drone) capability integrated into all relevant combat training, including force-on-force drone wars,” Secretary Hegseth said.
“This was the first step in the urgent effort to boost lethality across the force.
“The second step is to kickstart US industrial capacity and reduce prices, so our military can adequately budget for unmanned weapons.
“Drone dominance will do two things: drive costs down and capabilities up … We will deliver tens of thousands of small drones to our force in 2026, and hundreds of thousands of them by 2027.”
“We need to outfit our combat units with unmanned systems at scale. We cannot wait … We now find ourselves in a new era.
“An era of cheap, disposable battlefield drones. We cannot be left behind … We must invest in inexpensive, unmanned platforms that have proved so effective.
“We cannot afford to shoot down cheap drones with $2 million missiles. And we ourselves must be able to field large quantities of capable attack drones.”
