The Houthis in the country of Yemen say they shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone and have struck a British ship named RUBYMAR with multiple missile hits.
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is a $30 Million unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, one component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF). The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the USAF to indicate ground control by humans.
The aircraft is monitored and controlled, including weapons employment, by aircrew in the Ground Control Station (GCS). The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. In 2006, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force General T. Michael Moseley said: "We've moved from using UAVs primarily in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles before Operation Iraqi Freedom, to a true hunter-killer role with the Reaper."
UK Merchant Vessel Hit By Missiles
Yemen’s Houthis also targeted the Rubymar cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden and it is now said to be at risk of sinking, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on Monday.
The Belize-flagged, UK-registered and Lebanese-operated open hatch general cargo ship is shown in the FILE PHOTO below:
The vessel came under attack in the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen on Sunday, British maritime security firm Ambrey said.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported the crew had abandoned a ship off Yemen after an explosion.
Houthi Brigadier General Yahya Saree issued a statement claiming the attack, saying the vessel was “now at risk of potentially sinking.”
“The ship suffered catastrophic damages and came to a complete halt,” Saree said. “During the operation, we made sure that the ship’s crew exited safely.”
