DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone went down in Yemen, images purported to show Wednesday, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels continued attacks on shipping around the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war.
The Houthis released footage they said showed the aircraft being targeted with a surface-to-air missile in a desert region of Yemen’s central Marib province. It marked the third-such downing this month alone.
Images analyzed by The Associated Press showed the MQ-9 on its belly in the barren desert, its tail assembly disconnected from their rest of its body. At least one hatch on the drone appeared to have been opened after it landed there, though the drone remained broadly intact without any clear blast damage. One image included Wednesday’s date.
Noticeably, the drone did not appear to carry any markings on it.
Authorities in Marib, which remains held by allies of Yemen’s exiled government, did not acknowledge the drone.
A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, told the AP that “the U.S. Air Force has not lost any aircraft operating within U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.” The official declined to elaborate.
Reapers cost around $30 million apiece. They can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.
