Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The website “The War Zone” quoted a US military official as saying that US Air Force F-16 fighter jets used laser-guided missiles to shoot down Houthi drones during operations in the Red Sea last year.
The US official did not specify the number of missiles used, the number of Houthi drones shot down by those missiles, or the exact date of the first use of these missiles in targeting Houthi drones, considering this option “less costly compared to other options.”
The report noted that lasers can be used to designate the target during aerial engagement, as one aircraft designates the target for another. Given the difference in speed between Houthi drones and F-16 aircraft, one aircraft can keep the target steady while the other carries out its attack.
The website’s report also discussed the other military advantages of using laser-guided missiles, mentioning that they are perfectly suited for targeting Houthi drones, are less expensive than using air-to-air missiles designed to deal with targets such as drones, and provide better depth.
According to the report, “US military operations to defend Israel last year confirmed the importance of the largest stockpile depth in the face of mass drone and missile attacks.”
The report argues that the recent crises in various parts of the Middle East “have provided the US military with a range of important lessons learned in general. They also highlighted concerns about weapon spending rates and stockpile adequacy, issues that will only be clearer in a high-level battle, such as the one in the Pacific against China.”
The website noted that different levels of drones “have become a constant element in modern battlefields, as well as the growing threat to military assets and critical infrastructure outside of traditional conflict zones.”
