NYN | News
The British magazine Prospect revealed in a report published this week a dramatic shift in global military power dynamics, noting that Houthi forces (Ansar Allah) have become the most concerning threat to giant aircraft carriers, thanks to advancements in ballistic and hypersonic missile technology, which have turned these naval vessels into moving targets with no strategic value in modern warfare.
The report confirmed that the Houthis now possess missiles capable of accurately targeting aircraft carriers, such as the hypersonic “Palestine 2” missile launched at Israel, weakening the prestige of major powers in controlling maritime passages.
The report quoted Professor Peter Robinson, former director of military science at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), stating: “Aircraft carriers have lost their deterrent role… they did not deter Russia, Iran, or even the Houthis,” pointing out that the era of U.S. maritime dominance has ended.
The report also highlighted that U.S. and British warships were targeted by Houthi missile attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden last year, including an interception of a British destroyer by a missile targeting a commercial vessel in April, a scenario that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
The magazine pointed out that cheap drones have become a “nightmare” for modern armies, not due to the difficulty of shooting them down, but because using air defense missiles, costing a million pounds to destroy a drone worth only a few thousand, is a drain on resources, according to a military principle known as stripping the opponent of its weapons.
The report quoted James Cartlidge, the UK shadow defense secretary, warning that the ballistic threat at sea is evolving faster than our ability to confront it, emphasizing that Western forces are now within the line of fire, especially in strategic areas like the Red Sea.
Prospect concluded its report with a fundamental question: Are we witnessing the end of the aircraft carrier era? While no clear answers were provided, the signs from the battlefield indicate that the old rules of war no longer apply to the new reality, as advanced military technology reshapes the map of global conflicts.
