Project Sword
Single-handedly stirring up the entire Suez-Red Sea route, Yemen's Houthis have not only made Israel miserable, but also the United States. Seeing that the lifeline of international shipping is threatened and the global ** chain is not running smoothly, the United States has pulled up a "multinational escort fleet" with great fanfare and rushed to the Red Sea to escort the convoy. In this regard, the Houthis, the "slipper army", did not show any weakness, claiming to turn the Red Sea into a cemetery. On December 27, the naval offensive and defensive battle between the two sides officially began. According to the information released by the US Command, the Houthis used drones, anti-ship missiles and cruise missiles against the core "Eisenhower" aircraft carrier of the US ** team, while the US military successfully carried out anti-missile interception operations. In the initial naval battle, the Houthis did not reap the benefits, but it also sounded the alarm for the US military.
Judging from the results announced by the US military, the "Eisenhower" aircraft carrier battle group, which was on the escort combat mission, easily completed the interception mission by relying only on the F-18 "Super Hornet" fighters and the "Arleigh Burke"-class missile destroyers of the escort formation, leaving no chance for the Houthis to counterattack. All incoming targets were intercepted by the U.S. military, mainly because the Houthis had very limited anti-ship combat capabilities. In addition to suicide drones, the most powerful anti-ship ballistic missile in the hands of the Houthis is the "Persian Gulf-2" anti-ship ballistic missile developed by Iran, whose predecessor can be traced back to China's Hongqi-2 surface-to-air missile. This is a short-range missile finalized and mass-produced in the 60s of the 20th century, equipped only with an optoelectronic guidance head, and the range is only nearly 300 kilometers. It can be said that in terms of lethality and accuracy, it cannot be compared with the current mainstream anti-ship missiles in the world.
On the other hand, the US aircraft carrier battle group itself is composed of F A-18 "Super Hornet" fighters and a large number of Aegis warships to build a tight air defense system. In particular, the US Navy's shipborne Aegis system, which is known worldwide for its multi-channel air defense capabilities. The "Arleigh Burke" class can quickly launch up to 16-24 ship-to-air missiles at 1-second intervals at the same time, and the SPG-62 irradiation radar equipped with it can take into account three combat directions at the same time, while a single "Arleigh Burke" is equipped with three SPG-62s.
Although the Houthis' "small test" is loud and rainy, it has fully demonstrated its strong fighting spirit. More importantly, in terms of combat costs, the Houthis can afford it, but the US-led "multinational escort fleet" cannot afford it at all. After all, although it is under the banner of a multinational coalition, this huge fleet is actually a one-man show of the United States. At the beginning of the formation of the coalition forces, many allies of the United States expressed their dissupport, or they dealt with it in a perfunctory manner and gave a little face.
After all, as soon as the cannon goes off, no country is willing to use real money to fight for the United States and Israel. As a result, the United States' plan to rely on winning over its allies to share its military spending has completely failed. In this naval offensive and defensive war, the drones and cruise missiles launched by the Houthis are very cheap, and the air defense missiles used by the US military are often worth millions of dollars. Although it is said that the fleet is equipped with up to a thousand missiles, it simply cannot withstand long-term attrition. The Houthis do not need to fight the US military at all, and only need to attack and harass from time to time, which is enough to put the US military in a dilemma in the constant attrition.
It is ironic that at the beginning of the formation of the multinational fleet, the United States also wanted to drag our country into the water, but we resolutely refused. Once we join this so-called "multinational force," we will be able to fundamentally share the cost pressure of the United States, and it will also trigger contradictions between China and the Houthis and other countries in the Middle East. We know that the Houthis are not targeting China, and we do not need to worry about falling victim to the Red Sea crisis.
That's exactly what happened. According to the latest news released by the International Ship News Network, just after the Houthis launched a "ship raid" in the Red Sea, a Chinese container ship escorted by the Chinese Navy still passed the Red Sea-Suez route, and the Houthis did not attack. Similarly, two French freighters, escorted by the French Navy, passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait safely. It turns out that the Houthis did not carry out indiscriminate attacks, but instead targeted the United States and Israel. We have mature experience in escorting ships at sea, and we have the Djibouti naval base as a logistical support, so there is no need to worry about it. The real concern remains that the United States and Israel will find a solution to the Red Sea crisis once and for all, through ground military action against the Houthis. In the face of the imminent reunification of the Houthi armed forces, which have hundreds of thousands of troops, does the US military dare to gamble the lives of American GIs to launch a landing operation?We'll see.