Santa Barbara’s namesake warship just made history by launching a one-way attack drone at sea in the Middle East.
The USS Santa Barbara, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, launched the drone in the Arabian Gulf on Tuesday, December 16. It was a first for the American military using this new technology, known as a Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS. It was launched by the U.S. 5th Fleet, which oversees the nation’s operations in the Middle East.
The launch seems to have been a test of the drone’s capabilities, but what happened after the launch was not shared by military officials.