CENTCOM: Working to establish the first multinational joint task force for attack drones

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Thursday that it is establishing the first multinational joint task force dedicated to offensive unmanned aerial systems.

In a statement, CENTCOM said the new task force, named “Falcon Strike,” employs single-use offensive unmanned aerial systems, including unmanned systems operating in the air, on the surface, and underwater, operated and managed by military support crews from the United States and regional partners.

The statement added that the launch of “Falcon Strike” comes nine months after CENTCOM established the “Scorpion Strike” task force, which is the first U.S. military squadron dedicated to single-use offensive unmanned aerial systems in the Middle East.

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It noted that “Scorpion Strike” achieved significant operational milestones in a short period, including conducting the first launch of an offensive unmanned aerial system from a U.S. Navy warship last December.

The force used single-use unmanned aerial systems during “Epic Fury” operations against Iran, as well as in strikes targeting Iranian port facilities last July, using unmanned surface attack vessels.

For his part, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in the statement that “Falcon Strike” will build on the success of “Scorpion Strike,” given the tremendous innovation occurring among our allies and regional partners.

Cooper added that integrating and jointly deploying our new capabilities will help us rapidly realize new potential.

He noted that CENTCOM has begun consultations with regional partners and issued formal invitations for them to officially join the “Falcon Strike” task force, aiming to expand offensive unmanned aerial system capabilities throughout the Middle East and form a unified, multi-domain, multinational deterrent force.