Eglin Air Force Base scrambles after local fishermen stumble upon a military training disaster

When fishing off the Florida Panhandle, most would expect to catch mackerel, flounder, or maybe even a shark. However, one crew on a fishing charter hauled in something entirely unexpected on a recent outing — a nearly 10-foot military drone. The bizarre catch was purportedly made not far from Eglin Air Force Base, home to the US Air Force’s 96th Test Wing.

Hot Spots, out of Pensacola, shared a picture of its discovery on Facebook, with the caption, “Great 6 hour today with this crew! If anyone is looking for their drone please call Hot Spots!” The photo showed a drone minus its rear propeller and part of its nose.

Hot Spots shared how it made its catch of the day

The surprise find in Hot Spots’ picture appeared to be an FLM 136, or Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS). In 2025, the Air Force announced the creation of this drone, which is a clone of the Iranian-designed Shahed 136. Both the clone and the original drone have played a significant part in the Iran and Ukraine wars.

The charter stumbled across the drone purely by chance, as Captain Daniel Arsenault explained to CNN that they were “riding along offshore and saw it floating.” The captain and his crew first thought that a boat had capsized and people might need help. Upon closer inspection, though, they realized just what they’d found.

They tried calling the Coast Guard about the drone, but the Coast Guard was busy with an active search and couldn’t help them. That’s when the group decided to simply bring the drone back to shore. (While pulling the object into the boat, the captain allegedly also brought up some mahi-mahi to add to his cooler of fish.)

A spokesperson for Eglin reportedly told Task & Purpose, “On Thursday, Sept. 17, a LUCAS UAS impacted the water during routine scheduled testing on the Eglin AFB Range.”

Eglin Air Force Base was quick to retrieve its property

Once the charter had returned to shore, they did their best to notify all relevant local agencies of the drone’s recovery. Eventually, the sheriff’s department took possession of the craft, and Arsenault reportedly stated that later that same day someone from the military reached out to him and asked, “for their drone back.”

Hot Spots later posted an update in the comments on its social media post that clarified that none of those on the charter took home what would have made an impressive keepsake. The company explained, “The black suvs came and got their drone, all is good!”

Additionally, a spokesperson for Eglin reportedly also confirmed that the base had reclaimed its property; “The aircraft has been recovered and is back in the Department’s possession.”

As for Arsenault’s take on the unique catch, he allegedly ranked it in the top five most unusual items he’s discovered in the Gulf. He reportedly said, “That’s the great thing about fishing. You never know what you’re gonna catch.”

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