US acknowledges Yemen’s Houthis shot down 2 Reaper drones, worth US$30 million each

Yemen’s Houthi rebels shot down two American MQ-9 Reaper drones in under a week, the United States military acknowledged on Wednesday, further highlighting the regional spread of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

As the one-year anniversary of the war approaches, Houthis continue a campaign to target ships travelling through the Red Sea as US-led air strikes pound their positions in Yemen.

That’s imperilled a waterway that typically sees US$1 trillion of trade pass through it, as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen.

The US military said Houthis shot down the first Reaper on September 10, and the second on Monday. Online video showed the downing and the flaming wreckage on the ground afterward in Yemen’s Dhamar province.

General Atomics Reapers, which cost around US$30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA over Yemen for years.