LUCAS or: how I stop worrying "drone will rob zoomie's job" and love the loitering munitions

[lumiere]

TDZ article suggests US used Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) in recent Operation Absolute Resolve.
https://www.twz.com/air/u-s-kamikaze-dr ... -venezuela

For those who don't know this (neither did I till yesterday): LUCAS is essensially the US copy of (in)famous Iran Shahed-136 drone (designation FLM-136 with same 136 also suggests that). Although currently not included in DB3K, I convinced you can substitude with original Shahed/Gelan series that is already included.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/ar ... re-warfare

Such drones, designed for one-way, "kamikaze" attack like missile are distinctively called loitering munitons (LM). LM tends to be used amasse (aka "swarm", but I hate this word because it is used as excess as "gamechanger", and considered as silver bullet).

While you CAN shot them down with fighter/SAM relatively easily (compared with hypersonic missile), this is not so cost-effective and would expose these AD assets, which should be used to counter more competent manned assets, to be hunted (LM goes --> SAM radar active --> LM shot down --> HARM it!). That's why people are so despelate to develop their counter-UAS capabilities such as jammer, laser, and so on.

Quote from TDZ article:

Long-range kamikaze drones would have also offered a way to stimulate enemy air defenses, helping to expose their exact locations and provide emissions to hone in on, after which they could then be struck by other platforms or avoided entirely. The U.S. spent months cataloging Venezuela’s electronic order of battle from standoff distances, but road mobile systems are something of a wild card. If they radiate, they could be rapidly geolocated and destroyed. Similar drones could have been employed purely as decoys or for stand-in (close proximity) jamming of key radars and communications systems, depending on their exact configuration.

Careful use of LM, with conventional manned assets, will make strike much more effective, as we saw in Carcas.

Hope Command player, including me, will develop astute use of drones including these LMs.

[Nikel]

Thanks for the links. You may indeed do it in CMO.

In Correcaminos' scenario, added a Shahed launcher to the Iwo Jima, to strike one of the Chinese radars around Caracas.

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[lumiere]

Thanks for the links. You may indeed do it in CMO.

In Correcaminos' scenario, added a Shahed launcher to the Iwo Jima, to strike one of the Chinese radars around Caracas.


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Don't forget to add Shahed Datalink as Comms to launching platform so that Shahed can be controlled during flight (one of LM features which cruise missile does not have).

[Nikel]

Thanks for the tip.

Apparently is added automatically to the comms, when you add the Shahed mount to the weapons.


DB v515 was not released yet, however Pygmalion posted the new additions some time ago, there are several new Shaheds including a generic Shahed copy, but not yet the LUCAS itself.

https://github.com/PygmalionOfCyprus/cm ... sions/6793

[Tcao]

While you CAN shot them down with fighter/SAM relatively easily (compared with hypersonic missile), this is not so cost-effective and would expose these AD assets, which should be used to counter more competent manned assets, to be hunted (LM goes --> SAM radar active --> LM shot down --> HARM it!). That's why people are so despelate to develop their counter-UAS capabilities such as jammer, laser, and so on.

Careful use of LM, with conventional manned assets, will make strike much more effective, as we saw in Carcas.

I believe many players have already carried out similar coordinate strike in CMO. For example when facing high tech SAM site, fire a salvo of cruise missiles either directly on the SAM site or targeting the installation around SAM's effective engagement range. Force the SAM site to turn on the FCR radar, then spread another salvo of HARM.

If the enemy scramble the interceptors/fighters, use your fighters as an escort for the cruise missiles, engage enemy fighters when they are busy with intercept the cruise missiles.


in the future, the cruise missiles will be replaced by more enormous, more cheaper LM. When coordinate a swarm of LM with some hypersonic missiles , it will be very hard for the defender side to defend.