Watch: Yemeni missile downs US MQ-9 drone over Hodeidah

By Ali Halawi
Source: Yemeni Armed Forces - Military media
19 Feb 2024 23:27
6 Shares

The Yemeni Armed Forces release footage of their locally produced air defense system ripping apart a hostile US drone on Monday.

Members of the Yemeni Armed Forces collect the debris of a US-operated MQ-9 drone from the shore of al-Hodeidah, Yemen, on February 19, 2024. (Yemeni Armed Forces/Military Media)

The Yemeni Armed Forces released footage detailing the moment that their air defense systems fired at and took down an MQ-9 drone over al-Hodeidah.

The drone is a multirole top-of-the-line US-made and operated aerial vehicle, equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance systems. It has been used in multiple high-profile assassinations in West Asia, awarding it a formidable reputation. However, factions of the Axis of Resistance have downed three MQ-9 drones since November 8, 2023, including the one destroyed on Monday.

Members of the Armed Forces are seen collecting the debris produced by a direct hit to the target, which had plunged toward al-Hodeidah's coastline in the early morning hours.

#WATCH | Yemeni Armed Forces publish footage of the #Yemeni air defenses shooting down a US MQ9 drone in the skies of #Hodeidah Province with a locally-made surface-to-air missile while it was launching an attack on the region.#Yemen pic.twitter.com/CHQSZUZUp6
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 19, 2024

The wreckage shows just how effective the YAF's air defense tactics are, as the drone was seen peeled to the bone with only its 20m wide chassis remaining intact.

On Monday morning, the spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced that the YAF downed the drone, adding that the Yemeni Naval forces targeted the UK-owned RUBYMAR bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden. Later, Saree said that the RUBYMAR sank after its crew were evacuated. He also added that the YAF's Navy targeted and hit US bulk carriers "Sea Champion" and "Navis Fortuna" in the same area.

Previously, the Yemeni military had unveiled and paraded several locally produced air defense systems, which are near replicas of Iranian-made air defense systems and weapons.

Among those surface-to-air missiles put on display on September 22, 2023, were the locally-produced Bareq-1 and Bareq-2 missiles. The missiles resemble the Iranian Taer line of missiles, which are used on a multitude of staple air defense systems.

Members of the Yemeni Armed Forces stand on a mobile military carrier alongside launching pads holding Bareq-2 surface-to-air missiles, in Sanaa, Yemen, on September 21, 2023. (AFP)

A man-portable air-defense missile, dubbed Saqer-2, was also seen at the parade. The missile can be easily transported and launched to take down close-range targets, such as low-flying drones. It is also similar to the Iranian 358 surface-to-air missile.

Third MQ-9 downed

The first downing of a US MQ-9 drone was recorded by the Yemeni Armed Forces on November 8, 2023.

This illustration shows the moments a US-operated MQ-9 Reaper drone was detected and targeted by the Yemeni Armed Forces, on November 8, 2023. (Yemeni Armed Forces/Military media)

Since then, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq also dropped a US-operated MQ-9 drone over the eastern Governate Diyala, on January 19, 2024.

Alone, the Yemeni Armed Forces have downed a total of six MQ-9 drones since October 2017. A recent post by the YAF's military media recounted six events in which its air defenses targeted and hit the infamous US aerial vehicle.

Location: Sanaa; Date: October 2017
Location: Al-Hodeidah; Date: June 2019
Location: Dhumar; Date: August 2019
Location: Marib; Date: March 2021
Location: Yemeni territorial waters; Date: November 2023
Location: Al-Hodeidah; Date: February 2024

Fox News reports the price of MQ-9 drones at $32 million, although the estimate is outdated and does not account for inflation. The fact that multiple factions of the Axis of Resistance have now proved their ability to take down the high-tech system sheds light on the Resistance's ability to confront the world's most advanced military, using available and limited resources.