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Topic: Air Warfare, and Naval Warfare Blog Brand: The Buzz Region: Americas Tags: Drones, Littoral Combat Ships, North America, Ships, Suicide Drone, United States, and US Navy US Warship Fires First Kamikaze Drone at Sea December 22, 2025 By: Stavros Atlamazoglou
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Armed with anti-ship missiles or bombs, aerial suicide drones have potential in naval combat against a variety of surface combatants.
The US Navy successfully launched a suicide drone from a warship.
Suicide Drone from Warships
On Tuesday, the Navy conducted the first successful launch of a one-way attack unmanned aerial system from a warship at sea.
The USS Santa Barbara, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, launched a Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) during a training mission in the Arabian Gulf.
“Personnel assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (NAVCENT/C5F) successfully launched a one-way attack drone from a ship at sea for the first time,” the Navy announced in a press release.
The successful test was part of Task Force Scorpion Strike’s effort to develop cutting-edge weapon systems. The Department of Defense formed the task force to equip frontline units with the latest technology.
“This first successful launch of LUCAS from a naval vessel marks a significant milestone in rapidly delivering affordable and effective unmanned capabilities to the warfighter,” Navy vice admiral Curt Renshaw, commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet NAVCENT/C5F, said about the successful suicide drone test. “This achievement demonstrates the power of innovation and joint collaboration in this critical region.”
“This platform will undoubtedly enhance regional maritime security and deterrence,” the senior Navy officer added.
The Navy has been increasingly looking into one-way attack unmanned aerial systems in an apparent effort to leverage their potential in naval combat. For example, the Naval Special Warfare Command is also looking to outfit commando boats with suicide drones to increase their lethality against conventional and non-conventional threats. The Special Boat Teams, which are responsible for infiltrating and exfiltrating Navy SEALs, are experimenting with adding one-way attack unmanned aerial systems to small special operations craft.
Drone Lessons from Ukraine
Militaries around the world are looking to harness unmanned technology to develop weapon systems and countermeasures. Lessons coming out of the large-scale conventional conflict in Ukraine show that drones can indeed play an important role in modern warfare. Not as an all-encompassing weapon system that will replace everything else, but an important addition to long-range fires.
Although the conflict in Ukraine is mostly taking place on the ground, there are some lessons learned for naval forces. The Ukrainian military and security services have employed drones to great effect, sinking, destroying, and damaging several Russian warships and logistical vessels. Indeed, only this week, the Ukrainian security services seriously damaged a Russian attack submarine in port with a drone.
The Ukrainians have been mainly using underwater unmanned systems for their attacks. But aerial suicide drones also have potential in naval combat. For instance, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems can be used in conjunction with anti-ship missiles to attack enemy surface combatants. Moreover, suicide drones can be used against low-level threats, such as enemy small boats, especially in pirate-infested waters.
This week’s successful suicide drone test shows that the Navy is paying close attention to developments and lessons learned around unmanned technology and is looking to harness its potential as it prepares for a near-peer clash with China.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: DVIDS.
The post US Warship Fires First Kamikaze Drone at Sea appeared first on The National Interest.
Источник: nationalinterest.org