How Did the Houthis in Yemen Manage to Shoot Down 20 MQ-9 Reaper Drones?
The Houthis have managed to shoot down an estimated $500 million worth of U.S MQ-9 Reaper drones—manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems—not with advanced multi million USD military hardw
The Houthis have managed to shoot down an estimated $500 million worth of U.S MQ-9 Reaper drones—manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems—not with advanced multi million USD military hardware, but with mobile, repurposed systems that can fit in the back of a Toyota pickup truck.
These makeshift air defense units rely on quick, tactical "shoot-and-scoot" operations: setting up radar and optics within minutes, locking onto targets, firing, and relocating before they can be targeted in return.
Central to their strategy are repurposed radar and optical systems, many inherited from the former Yemeni military or supplied by Iran and built with Chinese technology.
Among these is the Radar 35, a Swiss-made Super Fledermaus system dating back to the 1960s, now obsolete in most countries but still functional for basic tracking.
The Sadiq system, developed from Iran’s Sepehr-14 with Chinese components, can track up to 15 targets simultaneously. The Shafaq and Ufuq systems are variants of the Iranian EOSS-I-103—Shafaq includes a radar and is mounted in a distinctive L-shape, while Ufuq is a radar-less version capable of tracking targets over 90 kilometers away and up to 35,000 feet in altitude. The Naba’ system combines radar and optical tracking, capable of locking onto four targets at once and guiding radar- and infrared-seeking missiles with multi-band anti-jamming capabilities.
These are paired with repurposed missile systems like the Soviet-era 2K12 Kub (SA-6), rebranded by the Houthis as “Fater,” and the Iranian turbojet-powered SAM or Type-358, now known in Houthi ranks as “Saqr.” While neither missile is effective against fast-moving fighter jets or cruise missiles, they are more than capable of bringing down slow, high-value drones like the MQ-9—especially when fired from close range.
The result is a cost-effective and surprisingly resilient air defense network, built from Cold War leftovers and regional alliances, that’s proving a serious challenge to high-end U.S. surveillance assets.