Fishing boat reels in large U.S. military drone off Florida coast

A fishing boat’s haul recently included mahi-mahi, snapper, grouper and something unexpected: a U.S. military drone.

Daniel Arsenault, a 36-year-old charter captain, was fishing in Gulf waters off Florida when he spotted what looked like an upside-down boat, he told AFP on Monday.

“We were going over there to check it out, and it was a drone,” he said.

Arsenault was fishing with active-duty military helicopter pilots at the time, who identified it as a target drone.

“That’s why I kind of felt confident in picking it up,” he said, adding it to a catch that included mahi-mahi hooked near the aircraft.

“We brought it back to the dock, took photos with it with the catch of the day, and then the sheriff’s department here took possession of it, and then the government got it from them,” Arsenault said.

A photo posted Saturday on the Hot Spots Charters Facebook page shows the large gray drone next to a table of fish with the caption: “Great 6 hour today with this crew! If anyone is looking for their drone please call Hot Spots!”

A spokesperson for Eglin Air Force Base told AFP that a LUCAS drone — short for Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System — “impacted the water during routine scheduled testing” several days before that, on September 17.

“The aircraft has been recovered and is back in the (Defense) Department’s possession,” the spokesperson added.

The base routinely conducts exercises in the Gulf waters, and is carrying out a munitions test this week.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, announced in late 2025 that it was launching a new task force based in the region that was armed with LUCAS drones.

They were used in combat by American forces for the first time a few months later when the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28.

“CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike – for the first time in history – is using one-way attack drones in combat during Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM said at the time. “These low-cost drones, modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution.”

Iranian forces have attacked U.S. troops with Shahed drones in the Middle East, while Russia has used them to strike Ukraine.

This is not the first time a fishing boat has landed an unusual catch off the Florida coast. While Tampa Mayor Jane Castor was on a fishing trip in the Florida Keys with her family in 2023, they reeled in 70 pounds of cocaine, estimated to be worth more than $1 million.