Eglin AFB recovers drone pulled from Gulf waters off Pensacola Beach during charter trip

by Hailey Samples

topics:

• Pensacola
• Fishing charter
• Gulf of Mexico
• Drone recovery
• MQM-172
• Unmanned aerial
• U.S. military
• Aerial target

topics:

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. -- A Pensacola charter fishing group made an unusual catch on Saturday -- a large drone pulled from Gulf waters.

It came from testing at Eglin Air Force Base and is now back in the military's possession.

"Hot Spots Charters" said the group was on a six-hour trip when it found the drone about 20 miles southeast of the Pensacola pass and gathered it in the aircraft.

"It looked like a boat was upside down," Captain Daniel Arsenault said. "We thought it was an upside down skiff or something. So we changed our course and went and checked on it."

The charter reported the discovery, and the drone was picked up later that day.

"The US Navy or US government contacted us to figure out where their drone was because they were very interested in having it back," Captain Daniel Arsenault said. "We let them know that the Sheriff's Department on Pensacola Beach substation had the drone. And they were very thankful that we picked it up and they went and got it, I believe."

Eglin Air Force Base told WEAR News on Monday that last Thursday "a LUCAS UAS impacted the water during routine scheduled testing on the Eglin AFB Range."

LUCAS stands for Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System. The one-way attack drones debuted this past February, according to US Central Command.

They are known as kamikaze drones or suicide drones and were used in Operation Epic Fury, defending against Iranian missiles and drone attacks.

“This is another reminder that, even if you can’t always see it, the Gulf of America and the Florida Panhandle are absolutely critical to our national security," Rep. Jimmy Patronis told WEAR News in a statement. "That’s why we have to keep investing in our military and, just as importantly, protect the Gulf testing range that supports our readiness. This isn’t just something being debated in Washington. It’s happening right here at home.”

The LUCAS drones are about 10 feet long and eight feet wide, according to drone-warfare.com. It can reportedly travel up to 85 miles per hour and up to 15,000 feet high. It's modeled after the Iranian Shahed 136, which is often used in targeted strikes.

"We had some people on the boat who had some military experience," Arsenault said. "Probably would not advise to pick up something that you're not sure what it is. Call the Coast Guard, let them know where it's at. But the guys on the boat were pretty knowledgeable of what we were messing with, that's why we picked it up."

Check back here for updates.

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