Combat
Houthis bag 13th MQ-9 Reaper since October 2023
This footage, provided by a Houthi media outlet, shows the shootdown and wreckage of an ostensibly American MQ-9 Predator drone. It was downed by a loitering SAM- likely an Iranian missile known as a "358" which is made of mostly commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) parts. The "358" therefore has a value of around $50k-$100k, versus a conservatively estimated $15M per Reaper. This is the third Reaper shot down in a week, and the 13th since October 2023. While losing drones is infinitely better than losing pilots, the frequency with which the US is allowing their MQ-9 fleet to be impugned is a source of ongoing debate regarding expense and strategy.
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