Although all the details of the Houthi use of anti-ship missiles are not clear, it is a fact that the Houthis used anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in the world to destroy real sea targets.
Not long ago, the US magazine "War Zone" published an article by author Joseph Trevisick, about the use of anti-ship missiles by the Houthis.
Project Sword The UK's International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) has collected and published a handbook on Houthi anti-ship missiles, which provides descriptions of the six anti-ship ballistic missiles and six anti-ship cruise missiles procured by the Yemeni group since 2014, along with charts of these ** performance parameters.
Six types of anti-ship ballistic missiles by the Houthis have been regularly seen at military parades for many years. It seems that all missiles have an electronical-optical infrared seeker installed in the head section, which is used at the end of the flight. The range of missiles is 140 km for the short and 500 km for the long. These ballistic missiles usually destroy targets with high velocity and high momentum.
The anti-ship cruise missile is another ** system of the Houthis, with a range of 40 to 88 kilometers, and uses a precision guidance system to have the ability to accurately attack at a long distance. Most of the anti-ship missiles owned by the Houthis are from Iran, and some use technology from Russia and China, such as the Ghadir provided by Iran, which is a direct copy of the Chinese C-802.
For the defenders, although some of the Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles and cruise missiles are not outstanding, not fast, and not at high altitudes, the U.S. Navy can use the weaker Standard-2 anti-aircraft missiles to intercept them, and there is no need to use the more advanced and expensive Standard-3 and Standard-6, but the Houthis' combined use of anti-ship ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, together with drones, to launch complex echelon attacks makes it quite difficult to defend.
What exactly is the attack capability of Houthi anti-ship missiles? This is a question that many netizens are more concerned about. There have been at least 26 attacks on ships in the Red Sea since last October, and the Houthis have failed to sink or damage a single ship. According to information from the US Navy, the Houthis fired at least 62 anti-ship missiles and drones in this series of attacks, but the vast majority were either shot down or missed. This raises questions about the Houthis' true anti-ship capabilities.
It is not clear how the Houthis target targets at sea. After all, their anti-ship missiles have radar, optoelectronic and infrared guidance systems, which can direct the missile to the target at the end of the flight. "The Houthis lack advanced intelligence surveillance equipment, such as maritime patrol aircraft and satellites, which are often able to provide targeting information for long-range anti-ship missiles," according to an expert analysis from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Although the Houthis have intelligence surveillance tools such as drones and civilian ships, as well as maritime transportation information from open sources, this information is still far from being able to accurately strike moving targets.
Another point, the Houthi missile stockpile, is also a big unknown. It is not clear how many missiles of various models have been accumulated by the Houthis. It can be said that Iran has found a reliable way to deliver ** to Yemen, and in recent years they have used precisely Iranian-supplied missile systems to strike at Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Whether they are fought accurately or not, the Houthis have succeeded in disrupting commercial shipping through this strategically important area. At the same time, Iran has collected a lot of relevant information and materials through the actual combat use of missiles produced by the Houthis, which is extremely valuable for the development of new missiles, the improvement of existing technical confrontation equipment, and the application of tactics, tactics and processes, and the consequences are obviously far beyond the Red Sea.
On January 15, the container ship Gibraltar Eagle, registered in the United States, was attacked by anti-ship missiles. On January 17, the U.S. freighter was attacked again, this time by the bulk carrier Yinco Piccardy, whose owner was still a U.S.-registered company.
This time neither ballistic missiles nor cruise missiles were launched, but suicide drones were used to strike the freighter. In order to prevent the spread of terror, the US military dispatched fighter jets and warships to intercept it, and also bombed radar stations and ammunition depots believed to be Houthi rebels. There is a saying in China that "anti-aircraft guns fight mosquitoes", and we would like to see how long the US military can hold out.