Pensacola fishing crew recovers US military drone from Gulf of Mexico

A fishing charter crew operating off Pensacola Beach recovered a large military drone from the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday during a routine six-hour offshore trip. The crew aboard Hot Spot Fishing Charters found the unmanned aircraft approximately 20 miles southeast of the Pensacola Pass, initially mistaking it for an overturned vessel before retrieving it. Captain Daniel Arsenault reported the discovery to authorities, and the drone was picked up the same day by military personnel.

Eglin Air Force Base confirmed on Monday that the recovered aircraft was a LUCAS (Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System) drone that "impacted the water during routine scheduled testing on the Eglin AFB Range" on Thursday. The LUCAS is a one-way attack drone approximately 10 feet long and 8 feet wide, with a reported maximum speed of 85 miles per hour and operational ceiling of 15,000 feet. The drone is modeled on the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 strike platform and has been used by US Central Command in military operations, debuting in February 2025. The recovered drone was manufactured by Arizona-based Spektreworks and appeared to have sustained damage, including a missing nose section and propeller.

The Air Force did not immediately disclose specifics about the drone's designation before Eglin's official statement. The recovery zone is managed by Eglin Air Force Base, home to the US Air Force's 96th Test Wing, which oversees restricted airspace and offshore test zones along the Gulf corridor. Base regulations explicitly prohibit small unmanned aerial systems within the Eglin reservation. Captain Arsenault noted that crew members with military experience were present on the boat and indicated that awareness of potential hazards influenced the decision to retrieve the aircraft rather than report its location to the Coast Guard.