Florida fishing charter makes an unexpected catch: A US military drone

Fishing Trip Off Florida Panhandle Turns Up Missing Military Drone

Activelifezero.com – A routine offshore charter near Pensacola took an unusual turn Saturday when anglers spotted a damaged unmanned aircraft floating in the water instead of another fish. The aircraft, later identified as property missing from Eglin Air Force Base’s inventory, appeared to be an FLM 136, a US-made version of Iran’s Shahed-136 drone.

Hot Spots Charters shared photos of the find on Facebook after bringing the drone aboard. In one image, the aircraft stretches across nearly the full bow area of the boat, a dramatic contrast with the grouper, mackerel, trout, redfish, flounder and sharks that are more familiar catches in waters off the Florida panhandle.

“Great 6 hour today with this crew! If anyone is looking for their drone please call Hot Spots!”

Charter captain Daniel Arsenault posted the message alongside a picture of the unexpected haul. He later said he had simply noticed the aircraft while traveling offshore.

“Riding along offshore and saw it floating.”

Recovery Near a Major Test Base

The discovery took place in waters near Eglin Air Force Base, which is home to the US Air Force’s 96th Test Wing. The base confirmed that an unmanned aircraft involved in a test had gone down, although officials did not publicly identify the model at the time.

“I can confirm that we were doing a test and the test article went down.”

The photographs suggested the aircraft had been damaged before it was pulled from the water. Its nose section was absent, and the rear propeller was also missing. Hot Spots Charters later posted that vehicles had arrived to retrieve the drone.

“The black suvs came and got their drone, all is good!”

The episode illustrates how closely civilian activity can overlap with military testing along the Gulf Coast. Eglin’s vast training and testing environment includes airspace and nearby waters, while the surrounding coastline remains a popular location for fishing trips, boating and recreation. In this case, the charter crew encountered test hardware after it had already come down offshore.

A US Version of the Shahed Design

The drone seen on the boat appeared to be an FLM 136, part of the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System program, known as LUCAS. The Air Force announced late last year that it had developed the drones as a clone of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136.

The Shahed-136 has become widely associated with the wars in Ukraine and Iran. Its relatively simple design and attack role have made it a prominent example of the growing importance of low-cost unmanned systems in modern conflict. The US version reflects an effort to field a comparable platform built domestically.

Arizona-based Spektreworks manufactures the LUCAS drones. The aircraft measure 9.8 feet, or 2.9 meters, from end to end, with an 8.2-foot wingspan. Each weighs about 70 pounds, explaining why the recovered drone occupied so much of the boat’s forward deck.

US Central Command said in early March that LUCAS aircraft were being used during the war with Iran, describing their role as delivering American-made retribution. The system is intended to offer a lower-cost attack option than many larger and more complex weapons, while retaining the ability to operate without a pilot aboard.

The drone’s general form is visually distinctive: a compact fuselage, broad triangular wings and a rear-mounted propulsion arrangement. Damage to the nose and propeller in the charter photographs left it looking less like an intact military asset and more like an unusual piece of wreckage. Still, its size and silhouette made it immediately notable once it was lifted aboard.

Anglers Find Humor in an Unusual Catch

Fishing charters often trade stories about difficult catches, rough weather and the species that got away. This one prompted a different kind of response online. Some commenters treated the recovered aircraft as if it belonged on a fishing report.

“Fun fight but they’re super bony and taste like avgas,”

Another person joked about fishing regulations and whether the drone should have gone back into the water.

“Aren’t those strictly catch and release?”

For the passengers and crew, the encounter transformed an ordinary six-hour charter into a story unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. The drone has since been returned to military personnel, while Hot Spots Charters can add an exceptionally unconventional recovery to its list of catches off the Florida coast.