WASHINGTON, August 14, 2026 — U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, announced efforts Aug. 13 to establish Task Force Falcon Strike, the first-ever multidomain, multinational attack drone task force. The unit will employ one-way attack drones consisting of unmanned systems from above, on and below the sea, operated by military support staff from the United States and regional partners. Falcon Strike's launch comes nine months after CENTCOM established Task Force Scorpion Strike, the U.S. military's first dedicated one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East. Scorpion Strike rapidly achieved operational milestones, including the first launch of an aerial attack drone from a U.S. Navy warship in December 2025. The squadron also employed one-way unmanned aerial systems during Operation Epic Fury and used unmanned attack vessels at sea during strikes on Iranian port facilities in July.

The December launch involved the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS, which was launched from the flight deck of the combat ship USS Santa Barbara while the ship was operating in the Arabian Gulf. Task Force 59 operated the LUCAS drone as part of Task Force Scorpion Strike operations. Earlier in December, shipboard weapons integration work involving LUCAS was conducted aboard USS Santa Barbara in the Arabian Gulf as part of Task Force Scorpion Strike operations.

Attack Drones Extend from Warships to Maritime Operations

Falcon Strike will employ one-way attack drones consisting of unmanned systems from above, on and below the sea. The task force’s stated scope follows Scorpion Strike's use of one-way unmanned aerial systems during Operation Epic Fury and unmanned attack vessels at sea during strikes on Iranian port facilities in July. The December 2025 LUCAS launch also marked the first launch of an aerial attack drone from a U.S. Navy warship.

“Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike’s success given the tremendous innovation happening among our regional allies and partners,” said Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “Integrating and deploying our new capabilities together will help us rapidly realize the new possibilities that are on the horizon.” Cooper also said the United States has strong partnerships and friends in the region and that the military is collectively stronger when it integrates and deploys new capabilities together.

Regional Partners Receive Invitations to Join Falcon Strike

CENTCOM has initiated consultations with and officially invited regional partners to participate in Falcon Strike. As regional partners formally join, CENTCOM said the task force will scale attack drone capabilities across the Middle East into a unified, multidomain, multinational deterrent. The task force will operate with military support staff from the United States and regional partners.

Cooper said the United States has strong partnerships and friends in the region and that the military is collectively stronger when new capabilities are integrated and deployed together. “We are collectively stronger when we integrate and deploy new capabilities together,” Cooper said. CENTCOM’s announcement said Falcon Strike will scale attack drone capabilities across the Middle East as regional partners formally join.

Photo credit: CENTCOM 

SOCCENT Personnel to Lead U.S. and Regional Representatives

Personnel from U.S. Special Operations Command Central, or SOCCENT, which launched Scorpion Strike, will lead Falcon Strike's staff of U.S. and regional representatives. SOCCENT is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, and plans and conducts special operations across CENTCOM's 21-country area of responsibility in the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia.

Falcon Strike’s staff will consist of U.S. and regional representatives as regional partners formally join the task force. The new task force will employ one-way attack drones consisting of unmanned systems from above, on and below the sea, while CENTCOM will scale attack drone capabilities across the Middle East as regional partners join.