Washington says Houthi wants to salvage $30 million US UAV

The Pentagon said the Houthis were trying to salvage an MQ-9 UAV that was shot down by the group and crashed into the Red Sea.

"We know that the Houthis attempted to recover the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), but it is unlikely that they will recover anything of value. The United States currently has no plans to recover the aircraft," Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on November 9.

The Houthi forces in Yemen have not commented on the information. The armed group announced on November 9 that it shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper aircraft, accusing it of conducting hostile reconnaissance and surveillance operations over Yemeni territorial waters and serving military support efforts for Israel.

MQ-9 UAV deployed by the US to the Middle East in 2021. Photo: USAF

US officials later said the plane was shot down in international airspace.

The MQ-9 Reaper is an armed UAV manufactured by the American corporation General Atomics for the United States Air Force. The designation "MQ" indicates that it is a multi-mission drone, while "9" is the aircraft's order in the US UAV line. This is the first US hunter-killer UAV designed for long-range reconnaissance at high altitudes.

The MQ-9's sensor system includes the AN/DAS-1 multispectral target designator with color television, infrared and laser irradiator, combined with the AN/APY-8 Lynx II radar with synthetic aperture scanning to create a three-dimensional image of the terrain and search for targets.

Houthi shoots down US $30 million UAV

US MQ-9 UAV shot down off Yemen in video released on November 9. Video: Twitter/Ahadmalik1

The MQ-9 can carry a maximum payload of 1.7 tons, with weapons including AGM-114 Hellfire surface-to-surface missiles, GBU-12 laser-guided bombs or GBU-38 satellite-guided bombs. The aircraft can also be equipped with AIM-9X or Stinger air-to-air missiles, but the project is still in the testing phase and has not been deployed in practice.

Each Reaper drone costs about $30 million to manufacture, according to a report by the US Congressional Research Service. Houthi forces shot down this type of drone twice over Yemen in 2019.

Vu Anh (According to Reuters )

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