Screen grab from a video released by the Houthis’ Military Media.
The media wing of the Houthis (Ansar Allah) has released footage showing the wreckage of a US-made General Atomics MQ-1 Predator drone that was shot down by the group over the northern Yemeni province of al-Jawf early on February 25.
Brig. Gen. Yahya al-Sari, a spokesman for the Houthis, said that the drone was conducting “hostile acts” when it was shot down with a “ground-to-air missile”.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a key member of the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi, and the US, the main backer of the coalition, are both known to be operating MQ-1-type drones over Yemen.
The export copy of the MQ-1 which was purchased by the UAE, the Predator XP, has an endurance of 35 hours and a service ceiling of 7,600 meters.
The MQ-1 was not the only drone to be shot down by the Houthis’ air defenses over Yemen on February 25. The group also shot down a US-made Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drone over the central province of Ma’rib. The ScanEagle was likely launched by the Saudi military.
The Houthis’ air defenses inflicted some real losses on the Saud-led coalition and even the US in the last few years. The coalition is yet to address this threat properly.
