Charter Crew Recovers Military Drone Off Florida Coast

A charter fishing crew off Florida's northern Gulf Coast hauled a large military drone out of the water during a six-hour trip on Saturday, September 20, 2026, in an unusual catch that drew attention before the aircraft was recovered by Air Force personnel. The crew of Hot Spots Charters, a Pensacola-based operator, spotted the delta-wing aircraft floating about 20 miles off Pensacola Beach. Captain Daniel Arsenault said the crew had been collecting debris when they noticed what appeared to be an overturned boat, which turned out to be the drone. Arsenault estimated the aircraft at about 10 feet long and 8 feet wide and said it took six people to bring it aboard. The company posted a photo of the drone on its social media accounts with a tongue-in-cheek caption asking anyone looking for their drone to call Hot Spots. A representative for Eglin Air Force Base, roughly 40 miles east of the recovery site, confirmed that the aircraft was a Lowcost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, or LUCAS, unmanned aircraft system that had impacted the water on September 17 during routine scheduled testing.