American officials confirmed this MQ-9 ReaperIt is a drone with a wingspan of 20 meters, mostly used for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes, and it fell into the sea. This was supplemented by the fact that the drone was in international airspace, over international waters, when it crashed.
A spokesman for the Yemeni forces claimed on Monday that their air defenses had destroyed the American military apparatus.It said the drone was armed with a missile and was on an enemy mission. According to the statement, air defenses intervened near the coastal city of Hodeidah in western Yemen.
If it is proven that the American device was overthrown by Houthi militants, then after last November This is the second time an MQ-9 drone has fallen victim to a hostile attack. The value of the device is $32 million, and its special feature is that it can remain in the air for about 27 hours, and in addition to surveillance and reconnaissance purposes, it can also carry weapons.
On Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported over the weekend that successful airstrikes were carried out against twenty targets, including for the first time against an underwater drone.
On Sunday the twentieth of this month, a commercial ship flying the Belizean flag and sailing between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea heading to Bulgaria was hit, and its crew was successfully rescued. According to Yemeni militants, the ship carrying the chemical may sink, but this has not been confirmed by Western sources. On Monday, a US-owned Greek-flagged ship also issued a distress signal due to an attack in the Gulf of Aden.
to update: The 20th Rebels released a video purporting to show the Reaper plane being shot down.
Cover image: A US MQ-9 Reaper drone at a Nevada air force base in 2007. Cover image illustration, Source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
