Speaking on 6 October, Abd Al-malik ibn Marwan Al-houthi said the Houthis had launched more than 1,000 missile and drone attacks in the past year, a total of 11 U. S. Mq-9 Reaper drones were shot down. Although the Pentagon did not confirm the figures, it has admitted several times before that a drone had been shot down. Why the“Reaper” drone in front of the Houthi armed frequent defeat?
US MQ-9 Reaper drone
According to the Associated Press, the last time the Houthis shot down a Reaper drone was September 30, when al-houthi military spokesman Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din Sariah said in a statement, a U. S. Reaper drone was shot down over Zasada Province. Videos circulating on social media showed a surface-to-air missile hitting a drone in the air. Significantly, since September, U. S. Drones have been shot down over Yemen frequently. On September 8th Houthi forces announced they had shot down a US MQ-9 drone over Yemen’s Malibu Province, the eighth such aircraft to be shot down since October last year. The Houthis claimed that the US drone was shot down“In the midst of hostilities”, while Pentagon officials said they“Have seen this information” but did not confirm the reports. On September 10th Houthi forces announced they had shot down a Reaper drone in Saada Governorate, in the north of the country, less than 72 hours after it was last shot down. September 16, Houthi forces announced shot down the 10th“Reaper” drone. Analysts say the shooting down of four reaper drones in just one month is evidence of the Houthi armed forces’ vastly improved ability to respond to such us drones.
The MQ -9 Reaper is a long-endurance, mid-to high-altitude surveillance UAV developed by General Atomics, which can carry out reconnaissance and surveillance missions and also carry missiles to strike ground targets. With its long-range combat capability, the UAV was once famous in the War on Terror and is still conducting reconnaissance missions in many parts of the world. Since late last year, Houthis have used drones and missiles to strike targets in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden waters, demanding an end to Israeli military operations in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. The United States and Britain launched several air strikes against Houthi armed targets, causing casualties. During this period, the“Reaper” uavs were mainly used in Yemen Houthi area of armed activities to carry out long-term surveillance tasks.
But the Reaper’s biggest weakness is its lack of self-defense. It can neither evade detection by stealth nor escape attack by speed or air maneuvering. In particular, the aircraft’s slow speed, fixed routes, relatively low flight altitude, in the past in the anti-terrorist war to monitor the lack of anti-aircraft capability of anti-n armed or terrorist organizations, the problem is not big, but the Houthis have developed considerable anti-aircraft capabilities over the years, having shot down Saudi fighter-bomber and F-15 fighters, so it is not surprising that the Reaper is losing out to the Houthis. “The MQ-9 is too big to be visible on the radar screen,” said Johnny & Associates Fedutinov, a Russian drone expert. This, coupled with its low speed and poor maneuverability, makes it an ideal target for anti-aircraft weapons.”