NYN | News
U.S. media is highlighting the mounting losses suffered by American forces in Yemen, amid the increasing downing of their drones by Sana’a forces.
Fox News, citing sources described as well-informed, reported that the air defenses of Sana’a forces successfully shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone in Yemen in recent hours.
This marks the sixth MQ-9 drone downed by Sana’a since March 3, during the Trump administration.
The network explained that this is the fifth drone to be shot down over Yemeni territory since U.S. Central Command launched its daily aerial campaign against Sana’a forces on March 15.
Despite 35 consecutive days of U.S. airstrikes, the attacks have failed to halt the counteroffensives, as Sana’a forces have continued launching missiles at the targeted U.S. drones and maintained their ballistic missile strikes against Israel, while international shipping in the Red Sea has yet to return to normal.
According to a Congressional Research Service report, each MQ-9 Reaper drone costs around $30 million.
Reports indicate that Sana’a has downed at least 16 drones of this type since the Israeli aggression on Gaza erupted in October 2023, with other estimates suggesting the number could be as high as 20 drones.
American losses from these drone downings are estimated at over half a billion dollars, at a time when U.S. forces are facing a rising demand for these drones, with some military leaders warning of a severe shortage of available aircraft for combat missions.
According to a statement by a U.S. defense official, the United States had only 230 MQ-9 Reaper drones in its arsenal as of December 2024, making the current pace of losses a significant blow to Washington’s reconnaissance and precision strike capabilities.
