Florida Fishermen Find Military Drone
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative file photo. A U.S. military LUCAS one way attack drone launches from USS Santa Barbara in the Arabian Gulf in December 2025. Eglin Air Force Base confirmed that a LUCAS aircraft went into the Gulf of Mexico during routine testing on Sept. 17, 2026, two days before Florida fishermen recovered it offshore. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kayla McGuire)
A Florida fishing charter crew made an unusual catch over the weekend when they spotted a U.S. military drone floating in the Gulf of Mexico and hauled it aboard with the day's fish.
Now the Air Force has confirmed the aircraft was one of theirs.
Eglin Air Force Base said a LUCAS unmanned aircraft went into the water Sept. 17 during routine scheduled testing on the Eglin range.
Two days later, fishermen with Hot Spots Charters found the roughly 10 foot aircraft floating offshore near Pensacola, Florida.
Charter captain Daniel Arsenault said the crew initially thought they were approaching an overturned boat or debris that could be connected to someone in distress.
Instead, they found a military drone partially submerged in the Gulf.
Before hauling it aboard, the fishermen noticed fish using the aircraft for cover and caught mahi mahi and tripletail around it.
Getting the drone onto the boat took considerably more effort.
The aircraft was filled with water, so several men held it alongside the boat until enough water drained out for them to wrestle it aboard.
Photos from the trip show the military aircraft stretched across the bow of the fishing boat alongside the day's catch.
The crew contacted authorities after finding the aircraft. When they returned to shore, local law enforcement took possession of it.
Arsenault said someone from the military later contacted him about getting the drone back.
Eglin has since confirmed that the aircraft is back in government possession.
The drone was not a small commercial quadcopter.
LUCAS is the Low Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, a one way attack aircraft fielded by the U.S. military.
U.S. Central Command announced in December that it had deployed a squadron of LUCAS drones to the Middle East as part of Task Force Scorpion Strike. The military describes the aircraft as long range autonomous systems that can be launched from several different types of platforms.
The design is closely related to Iran's Shahed 136 one way attack drone.
LUCAS aircraft have also been used operationally. The U.S. employed the system during combat operations against Iran earlier this year.
There is no indication that the aircraft recovered off Florida was armed or involved in a combat mission.
Eglin said it went into the Gulf during routine testing.
The Air Force has not publicly explained what caused the aircraft to enter the water.
What is known is that two days after the test went wrong, a group of Florida fishermen found the military drone floating offshore and brought it home with their catch.
(Source: OAF Nation)
