Author: Rainbow Kursk.
According to a recent report, since October last year, the US Navy has launched about 100 "Standard" series of ship-to-air missiles at various anti-ship missiles, ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles launched by the Houthis in Yemen The close defense system is coming to intercept the incoming target!
In addition, although the Houthis in Yemen have issued a large number of anti-ship missiles, ballistic missiles and drones, the technical content and cost of these are very low, and the US military often launches multiple missiles to intercept incoming targets in order to ensure the accuracy of interception, which leads to the high cost of "standard" series of ship-to-air missiles being consumed in such a counter-bombardment, and the cost is very uneconomical.
*: The Arleigh Burke-IIA-class destroyer sailing the Red Sea fired the Standard series of ship-to-air missiles to intercept Houthi anti-ship missiles.
According to the United States**, each "Standard" series of ship-to-air missiles costs an average of about $4 million.
The report did not specify what specific types of the Standard family of ship-to-air missiles the U.S. Navy is using, nor did it provide details on the 100 missiles by model.
Past reports and other evidence that has emerged so far suggest that U.S. Navy warships have fired "Standard" SM-2 and "Standard" SM-6 missiles at Houthi missiles or drones. According to the Navy's budget documents, the cost of a single piece of the newly produced SM-2 Block IIC and SM-6 Block IA models is $2 million and $4 million, respectively. The unit cost of the SM-6 Block IA is in line with what is reported in the United States**.
The standard "SM-2 is a medium- and long-range ship-to-air missile. The "Standard" SM-6 has a longer range and stronger capabilities, with air defense and terminal missile interception capabilities, as well as the ability to attack ships and shore targets, and is also the only ship-to-air missile in the US Navy that can defend against highly maneuverable and hypersonic threats.
*: Schematic diagram of the "Standard" series of ship-to-air missiles currently in service with the US military.
*: "Standard" 2 ship-to-air missiles launched by the vertical launch system, $2 million each.
*: The launched "Standard" 6 ship-to-air missile, note the booster stage in the tail, which has a longer range and costs $4 million per unit.
Compared to the expensive "standard" ship-to-air missiles, the various missiles and drones used by the Houthis are very cheap.
The most expensive of these may be the anti-ship ballistic missile, but because it does not have a terminal precision guidance system, it costs as much as a large rocket.
In addition, the anti-ship missiles it uses are also relatively old, and some are even the old "Flying Dragon"-2 anti-ship missiles exported by China in the 80s and 90s of the last century, that is, the imitation of the Soviet-made SS-N-2 "Styx" anti-ship missile, which is also known as the "silkworm" anti-ship missile in the West, and it is unrealistic to use this missile to sink the US warship, but because of its huge warhead, it can easily send 10,000-ton cargo ships into the sea, so the US military must also spend a large number of missiles to intercept this fat missile.
As for drones, it will be cheaper, but if these drones with high explosives are not intercepted, then it will be enough for them to drink a pot if they really hit a US warship!
Therefore, even though the US warship knew that it would lose money by launching the "Standard" series of ship-to-air missiles to intercept these targets, it had no choice but to launch them, resulting in the fact that the ship's inventory was now about to run out and it had to call for supplies.
*: Cheap ballistic missiles used by the Houthis.
*: The "Silkworm" anti-ship missiles used by the Houthis are characterized by only picking large targets.