Yemen: The air defense forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces succeeded on Friday in shooting down a new US-made MQ-9 multi-purpose, high-tech drone, bringing the total number of downed drones of this model by Yemen to 3 since the start of the Storm Al-Aqsa battle, in addition to 4 others shot down during the years of the US-Saudi aggression on Yemen.

The scenes distributed by Yemeni media showing the downing of the American MQ-9 drone with a Yemeni missile and the scattered remnants of American industries, along with showing what remains of its wreckage on the ground, represented another image of Yemen's humiliation of American arrogance, according to observers.

This is not the first time that this type of advanced American drone has been shot down and the Americans have acknowledged losing it in Yemen. The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on February 19 last year the downing of an MQ-9 drone in the skies of Hodeidah province.

One month after the start of the Storm Al-Aqsa battle, and in a first-of-its-kind operation outside Yemeni territory, the Yemeni Air Force shot down on November 8, 2023, an American MQ-9 spy drone during hostile reconnaissance and surveillance missions in "Yemen regional waters" as part of Washington's protection of the Zionist entity and military support provided to it.

In the statements announcing the downing of the US drone, the Yemeni Armed Forces did not disclose the type of weapon used to shoot down the drones, indicating that it is not among the air defense weapons previously announced, showing the high level of development reached by Yemen in this field in addition to its missile, naval, and drone capabilities.

The downing of 4 same advanced drones during the years of aggression

The series of shooting down fighter reconnaissance drones of the "MQ-9" type dates back 7 years, specifically to October 1, 2017, when the Yemen air defense forces shot down the first aircraft of this model during hostile operations in the skies of the capital, Sana'a. The scenes of downing this aircraft at that time constituted a shock to the US-Saudi aggression alliance, and afterwards, the operations of this type of aircraft were limited to the increase in shooting down operations in Yemen airspace.

During the years of the US-Saudi aggression on Yemen as well, in June 2019, a second drone of this type was shot down in the skies of the coastal province of Hodeidah. In August of the same year, a third drone was shot down in the province of Dhamar. In March 2021, the fourth American drone of the same model was shot down in Marib governorate.

The MQ-9 Reaper is one of the latest American unmanned aerial vehicles with high-tech specifications, including an advanced radar system and high-precision cameras and sensors capable of scanning a 360-degree area.

It is multi-purpose, with missions ranging from surveillance and reconnaissance to being used as a missile launcher in combat zones. It can carry a large number of laser-guided missiles and bombs, and can strike "high-value and sensitive" targets as well as fixed targets, due to its weapon systems and its ability to monitor the area for a long period of time.

The missiles and bombs it can carry include 4 AGM-114 "Hellfire" missiles, and two additional 82 bombs, with laser-guided GPS vision, and it can be equipped with AIM-92 Stinger missiles.

The Americans constantly boast about this drone and sometimes call the "Predator" and sometimes the "Killer Hunter," with its capabilities worth 30 million dollars, weighing up to 5 tons and measuring 11 meters in length and 20 meters in width with wings, flying at an altitude of 45,000 feet.

Military observers believe that the downing of the giant American drone reflects the development and capabilities that enabled the Yemeni Air Force to shoot down this type, as the operation of downing an MQ-9 equipped with all these very modern systems requires complex technology weapons possessed by only a few countries.

By surpassing the American MQ-9 in Yemen, the gap in aerial superiority between Sana'a and Washington, on which the latter relied in its wars around the world, diminishes. Sana'a will take further steps to shoot down the most advanced American fighter jets and thus fully protect Yemeni airspace and land from any external violation or aggression, depriving the West, led by America, of a winning card it has used to strike and occupy countries and subject them to its dominance.