The Iranian-backed Houthis have increased their use of “unmanned surface vessels” in attacks. These types of naval drones can pose a threat to ships, and the Houthis have been employing them in the last month as part of their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis began their attacks in October to support the Hamas attack on Israel. They began by trying to target Eilat with missiles and drones and then began targeting shipping in November. The US, UK, and several other countries have joined a campaign to confront the Houthi attacks.
On February 26 in the afternoon and evening, US Central Command said they “destroyed three unmanned surface vessels (USV), two mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), and a one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in self-defense. The USV and ASCM weapons were prepared to launch towards, and the UAV was over, the Red Sea.”
The unmanned surface vessel is a type of naval drone that can be programmed to strike at ships. In January, the threat was identified by the US Navy.
“The latest [attack] was early this morning when a Houthi one-way attack unmanned surface vessel, or USV… made it to international shipping lanes. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and no ships were hit,” Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the international Combined Maritime Forces, told reporters on January 4. He described these weapons as “low profile” and that they came within a couple of miles of ships in the Red Sea. “We all watched as it exploded. No more details on that for right now,” he said.
The concept of using naval drones packed with explosives is similar to the emerging threats of Iranian kamikaze drones. Iran exported the Shahed 136 flying drone to the Houthis in Yemen in 2020 and then began providing it to the Russians in 2022. The Shahed 136 is a delta-wing drone that is filled with explosives and can be used on one-way missions.
This usually means programming the target into the system and launching it. It can’t return to base or land, and it likely cannot abort the mission. It is not clear if they can be maneuvered with the naval kamikaze drones in real-time by an operator or can return to base.
An emerging technology
The use of naval drones is an emerging technology. The US Navy, for instance, has experimented with a number of new naval drones in recent years. However, Iran’s goal is to export cheap and dangerous drones to the Houthis to help them carry out attacks.
On February 26, US Central Command said, “Forces identified the USVs and missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, as well as the UAV over the Red Sea, and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the US Navy ships in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels.”
Three days ago, on February 24, the US also said that “the Iranian-backed Houthis launched one anti-ship ballistic missile likely targeting the M/V Torm Thor, a US-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil product tanker in the Gulf of Aden. The missile impacted the water, causing no damage or injuries.” In addition, on February 24, US Central Command said that “forces shot down two one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles over the southern Red Sea in self-defense. A third UAV crashed from an assessed in-flight failure…forces identified the UAVs and determined they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the US Navy ships in the region.
“These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels.”
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