A charter captain operating near Eglin Air Force Base recovered a delta-wing drone from Gulf of Mexico waters on Saturday, according to local reports. The recovered device closely matches the shape and configuration of the Iranian Shahed-136 one-way attack drone, specifically the U.S. military's Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) variant designated FLM-136. The drone was found by Captain Daniel Arsenault of Hot Spots Charters during a routine fishing excursion. Arsenault described pulling the drone from the water while retrieving a mahi-mahi from beneath it, noting the intact cooler from that morning's catch.

Eglin Air Force Base confirmed a drone was lost during a recent test but declined to verify if the recovered unit was the same one. A base spokesperson stated only that "a test article went down" during an exercise at the Eglin Gulf Test Range, referring all further questions to the Pentagon, which has not yet provided additional details. The recovery was reported to local authorities, though the specific agency collecting the drone remains unidentified.

The FLM-136 is a target drone originally developed to simulate Shahed-136 characteristics for testing and training purposes before being adapted into the LUCAS combat system. The Eglin Test Range, operated by the 96th Test Wing, encompasses over 120,000 square miles of overwater airspace in the Gulf of Mexico and serves as a primary site for evaluating air-delivered weapons and navigation systems. The range regularly employs contracted recovery vessels to retrieve downed drones from its waters, with approximately 100 such recoveries reported annually.

This incident follows a pattern of similar recoveries in Florida waters. In 2021, debris from a U.S. Air Force BQM-167A target drone washed ashore in Palm Beach County. Military officials have noted that the deployment of low-cost attack drones like LUCAS has increased significantly in recent conflicts, including operations in Ukraine and Iran. The LUCAS program, established under Task Force Scorpion Strike, focuses on scalable, autonomous systems with extended range capabilities for operations across Central Command's area of responsibility.

Recovered components of the drone found near Eglin showed damage to the engine, propeller, and nose cone, consistent with water impact. The recovery underscores ongoing efforts to monitor and manage unmanned systems threats, particularly as adversary drone technology proliferates. While the origin of the specific drone remains unconfirmed, its presence in Gulf waters highlights the operational realities of modern drone testing and the logistical challenges of recovery in marine environments.