Yemen's Drone War: Two Sides Clash with Unmanned Weapons

Sanaa, Yemen – Houthi rebels launched suicide drone attacks on August 7 against camps and staging areas of Yemeni government forces, causing dozens of casualties. The internationally recognized government quickly responded by using remote-controlled drones to strike Houthi fighters on the front lines.

This development is significant in Yemen's more than decade-long conflict, as it underscores the growing use of drones on the battlefield. Government military units have repeatedly released videos showing drones tracking targets, dropping bombs, killing soldiers, and destroying armored vehicles and enemy bases.

"The Yemeni government is gaining an important tactical capability of its own," said Marius Bales, a researcher at the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies in Germany. "Reusable, remote-controlled drones can be particularly useful in daily battles along relatively static front lines, even if they cannot match the Houthis' strategic strike range."

Rueben Dass, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told Al Jazeera that Yemeni government forces have publicly used drones dropping bombs, apparently launched from multirotor drones. "These drones may have been modified to carry improvised warheads to target Houthi positions on the ground, similar to how state and non-state actors use them in other conflict zones," Dass said.

Houthi Arsenal Remains Formidable

Since capturing the capital Sanaa in September 2014, the Iran-backed Houthi forces have used drones as one of their most important asymmetric warfare tools. They can track opponents and strike staging areas, command centers, and facilities far from the front lines, while government forces have largely been on the defensive and intercepting attacks.

In recent days, however, government-aligned forces have claimed drone strikes on Houthi positions in Marib, al-Jawf, Taiz, Hajjah, al-Dhalea, and other fronts, releasing videos documenting some of these operations.

The Houthis have years of experience and more advanced missile and drone infrastructure, but that does not mean the Yemeni government cannot make a difference on the battlefield without achieving full weapons parity.

"I still assess the Houthis as having the more sophisticated overall drone capability," Bales said. "They have accumulated about a decade of operational experience and possess a much more diverse system." This arsenal ranges from short-range attack drones to long-range UAVs capable of striking targets outside Yemen's borders.

Bales said the armed group has benefited from Iranian technological support along with its own experience in improvising and operating these systems. Houthi drones include the Qasef series and the longer-range Sammad series, as well as newer systems derived from Iranian designs. The Qasef drone can carry a 30kg warhead, while the Sammad-3 has a range of about 1,500km and can carry 18kg of explosives.

Recent reports from the Marib front indicate the appearance of FPV (first-person view) drones using fiber-optic control, a tactic previously seen on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Adapting Commercial Drones

Last month, Yemen's Ministry of Defense unveiled drones in its military inventory for the first time. State television showed the Defense Minister and generals inspecting several drones, but did not disclose their types, range, or technical specifications.

Government drones have been operating almost daily in recent times, primarily remote-controlled and reusable ones. "They can observe targets, attack by dropping bombs and, if all goes according to plan, return for the next mission," Bales said.

A Yemeni drone researcher, speaking on condition of anonymity, said government military experts have adapted civilian drones into military weapons. "They have built aircraft capable of reconnaissance, target detection, and bomb-dropping."

A Second Ukraine?

Despite the growing importance of drones on the Yemeni battlefield, the scale of use remains limited compared to the war in Ukraine. "The difference in scale is enormous. In Ukraine, drones have become an industrialized and ubiquitous component of warfare," Bales said. "Yemen is beginning to show what we might call a Ukraine-ization of tactical drone warfare: cheap UAVs becoming the common weapon of small units rather than a specialized capability used infrequently."

Houthis Vulnerable to New Drone Warfare

In recent weeks, the Yemeni government has restructured its military with a single decision-making center. The anti-Houthi coalition now includes national army forces under the Ministry of Defense along with new units with independent commanders, such as the Giants Brigade and the Republican Guard forces in al-Makha.

The government's use of drones could open the way for new progress, but it does not guarantee a decisive victory over the Houthis. Yazeed al-Jeddawy, research manager at the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, said the government's drone campaigns could improve the tactical balance if current intensity and coordination are maintained. "Many government-aligned armed groups have released videos showing drones targeting Houthi fighters and positions, demonstrating that drones are no longer a limited capability in a few units but have become a more common operational tool."

The government's drone capability could also affect the morale of Houthi fighters by making their movements and positions more vulnerable to surveillance and aerial attack. "For years, the Houthis held a clear advantage in using attack videos to project military strength and undermine enemy morale. Government-aligned forces are beginning to compete in this arena. The volume of videos sends a message to Houthi fighters that their movements and positions are increasingly exposed on multiple fronts," al-Jeddawy noted.

Houthi media reported that 84 of the group's fighters were killed in about a week this month, including 28 field commanders. "The drone campaign could make front-line operations more costly for the Houthis, restrict their movement, and gradually weaken their position," al-Jeddawy concluded.