A group of fishermen from Florida came across something very different from the usual red snapper and trout of the Gulf of America on Saturday: a military drone similar to those used by Iran, floating off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.
Captain Daniel Arsenault shared the unusual discovery with humor.
“What a great six-hour day today with this team! If anyone is looking for their drone, please call Hot Spots!”, wrote Hot Spots Charters on social media along with a photo where the gray device, with its stabilizing fins visible, appeared prominently next to the catch of the day: red snappers, other fish, and squid.
Arsenault explained to the local press that the encounter was completely accidental: “We were sailing offshore and saw it floating.”
According to aviation photographer Charlie Green, as reported to The War Zone, Arsenault spotted the object from a distance and decided to approach it for a closer look. His passengers later assisted him in bringing the device on board. The crew attempted to alert local authorities, and eventually, an agency whose identity Green did not know took charge of the drone.
The images showed the device without the front section, the engine, or the rear propeller, occupying a large part of the bow of the vessel. According to The War Zone, the absence of these components is consistent with the damage that can occur when a device of this kind impacts the water.
In the comments section of their post on Facebook, Hot Spots Charters later clarified, in the same casual tone: “The black SUV trucks came to pick up their drone, all good!”
"Are those not the ones for mandatory catch and release?" an internet user asked ironically.
What type of drone is it?
The defense-focused site The War Zone identified the device as a possible FLM-136, belonging to the same family of systems that led to the development of the LUCAS (Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System) used by the U.S. Armed Forces and derived through reverse engineering from the design of the Iranian drone Shahed-136.
The FLM-136, manufactured by the company SpektreWorks, based in Arizona, originally started as a target drone designed to mimic one-way attack munitions like the Shahed-136 during exercises and tests. This design later served as the foundation for the development of the LUCAS weapon.
The FLM-136 measures 2.9 meters in length, has a wingspan of 2.5 meters, and weighs about 32 kilograms.
The original Shahed-136 is a one-use loitering munition with a delta wing design and rear propeller, supplied by Iran to Russia starting in 2022. Moscow has heavily utilized it in Ukraine under the name Geran-2 to attack energy infrastructure and cities.
The United States Air Force announced at the end of 2025 that it had developed its own clone through reverse engineering.
In February 2026, during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the first combat use of the LUCAS. The War Zone states that its operational debut was on February 28, during the first day of the operation.
The system is also notable for its relatively low cost. Captain Tim Hawkins of the Army, spokesperson for CENTCOM, estimated each LUCAS platform at approximately $35,000 and described it as a cost-effective and scalable weapon compared to other U.S. long-range strike systems.
According to CENTCOM, these drones have a wide range, can operate autonomously and beyond the operator's visual line. Furthermore, they support different launch methods, including catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and ground-based platforms or those mounted on vehicles.
Eglin Base and the failed test
The finding was not a minor geographical coincidence. The Eglin Air Force Base, home to the 96th Test Wing and one of the main weapons testing centers in the U.S., is located in northwest Florida.
The unit is responsible for testing and evaluating weapons launched from aircraft, navigation and guidance systems, command and control, and systems related to the Air Force Special Operations Command.
Its testing range over the Gulf is vast: it encompasses approximately 120,000 square miles (more than 310,000 square kilometers) of airspace over water, extending from northwest Florida to the Keys.
This is supplemented by 724 square miles of land with dozens of specific testing and training areas.
A spokesperson from Eglin initially confirmed to The War Zone that the base had recently lost a drone during a test, although at that time he could not verify that it was the same device discovered by the fishermen.
The base later provided a much more precise detail: on September 17, three days before the discovery, an unmanned aerial system LUCAS crashed into the water during scheduled routine tests at the Eglin firing range.
The Air Force added that the aircraft had been recovered and was once again in the possession of the Department, although no further details were provided.
Losing and recovering drones in these waters, in fact, is not something exceptional. The War Zone notes that the Air Force has a small number of vessels measuring about 36.5 meters in length designated for recovering downed drones during live-fire exercises or devices that need to be rescued from the sea. These vessels, operated by contracted crews, recover around 100 drones each year.
In 2021, another remarkable incident occurred in Florida: treasure hunters found a BQM-167A on a beach in Palm Beach County, a high-performance target drone from the U.S. Air Force that had washed ashore.
From imitating the Shahed to becoming a weapon
The origin of the FLM-136 helps to explain why a device of this family could be undergoing testing at Eglin.
The model was initially conceived as an aerial target capable of replicating the characteristics of unidirectional attack munitions, specifically the Iranian Shahed-136, to train and evaluate systems designed to neutralize that threat.
The experience of Ukraine and the confrontations with Iran have turned these relatively inexpensive drones into an increasing challenge for air defenses. The United States is therefore developing various capabilities against unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS).
Eglin has played a significant role in this effort. Among the technologies tested there are the laser-guided APKWS rockets employed from fighter jets to take down drones, a program whose air-to-air testing began in 2019.
The development of LUCAS continues towards systems capable of operating cooperatively in swarms, a capability that requires large controlled airspaces for testing, such as those available over the waters of the Gulf.
The strategic context
The incident occurs at a time of intense activity surrounding military drones in the United States.
The president Donald Trump signed an executive order in June 2025 aimed at accelerating the development, testing, and domestic production of drones, as the U.S. government has promoted a significant expansion of the military use of these systems.
The Shahed model also has a dimension directly related to Cuba.
In July 2026, the organization United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) showcased a replica of the Shahed-136 in Miami to raise awareness about intelligence reports indicating that the Cuban regime may have acquired over 300 drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, which sparked an intense political debate in the U.S.
After that exhibition, Trump promised to take action regarding the potential Iranian drones in Cuba, while analysts debated whether Havana has the real capability to use those systems against the United States.
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