Screen grab from a video by the Houthis’ media wing showing the downed drone.
On December 4, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced that they had shot down yet another US-made Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drone over the central Yemeni province of Ma’rib.
In a statement, Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the Yemeni group, said that the drone was shot down with a “suitable weapon” while it was conducting “hostile acts” over the district of al-Jubah.
“The armed forces affirm that they will spare no effort in carrying out their duty to protect Yemeni airspace by all available and possible means,” the spokesman said.
The Houthis’ media wing released footage showing the wreckage of the downed drone, which was likely of the more advanced ScanEagle 2 variant.
According to Brig. Gen. Sari, this was the seventh ScanEagle drone to be shot down by the Houthis’ air defenses over Ma’rib this year.
- On June 20, the first drone was shot down over Sirwah district;
- On June 21, the second drone was shot down over Sirwah district;
- On August 14, the third drone was shot down over Medghal district;
- On September 27, the fourth drone was shot down over Medghal district;
- On November 9, the fifth drone was shot down over al-Jubah district;
- On November 13, the sixth drone was shot down over al-Jubah district.
The ScanEagle 2 has a top speed of 148 kilometers and an endurance of more than 16 hours. The drone is mainly used for reconnaissance missions. It is equipped with a day and night capable sensor, a fully digital video system and an advanced navigation system.
It remains unclear who is operating these drones over Ma’rib. According to unverified reports, Saudi Arabia purchased a number of ScanEagle 2 systems from the US recently.
The Houthis’ air defense force stepped up its operations in the last few months. On December 1, the group shot down a Saudi-led coalition Rainbow CH-4 combat drone over Alamashya, an area located along the administrative border between the northern provinces of Saada and Amran.
They think itds Allah trying to get them.
What are they using? I hope they are using something better than improvised, Russian made, air-to-air missiles fired from the ground.
It’s probably Iranian in origin.