That’s 630 000 000 dollars total just for the MQ-9s
I often think about how many people numbers like that could have fed and let me tell you it is not a healthy thing to think about often
Yeah, there are so many ways the US could have spent that money to make the world a better place. It’s truly unhealthy to think about how they’d just throw it away like this instead of solving world hunger.
I’m pretty sure Yemen isn’t a threat to the American way of life, and considering this is what it is, that’s too bad.
It’s actually 22 now.
Imagining ‘to pimp a butterfly’ album cover but dudes with ak’s mogging infront of drones.
God, I need some Yemenese energy in my life right now.
Pretty good ROI
Is there any way of verifying them though? Remember ole bagdad bob during the iraq invasion making claims like they had been getting wins.
US officials have confirmed 19 of the 22 claimed MQ-9 Reaper losses.
A U.S. defense official told TWZ yesterday that Yemeni militants have or are suspected to have brought down six MQ-9s since March 15. Fox News reported today that U.S. officials have acknowledged the loss of another Reaper, the seventh one since the beginning of last month. Back in March, an unnamed U.S. defense official told Stars and Stripes that the Houthis had downed 12 Reapers since October 2023
12+7=19
Ansarallah/the Houthis in Yemen have a rudimentary but solid air defence system, with a mix of radar and ground based infrared search and track systems for detection and guidance, mostly locally manufactured versions of Iranian air defence systems, but some old Soviet era gear as well. They also have an anti air loitering munition called Missile-358. They haven’t been able to shoot down any US fighter aircraft directly, but this system has taken out many MQ-9 Reaper drones, and forced non stealth fighter aircraft to carry out lots of stand-off strikes to minimise risk to the pilots.
This article is a good overview of Yemeni air defence systems and capabilities
I did a comment on the latest attempts by the US Navy to suppress this air defence system here
Here’s a comment on how stealth is becoming increasingly important in the modern battlefield
A comment on ground based infrared search and track systems likely in Yemen
Excellent info, thank you comrade!
I usually do a daily breakdown of what’s happening in Yemen on this account if you want more information, if you go through my comment history you can see what I mean.
They take pictures of the wreckage
Photos and also I’d probably pump the number up a bit higher if I was making shit up
And then the US forces retreated victorious
Brave Sir Robin ran away
