Just 9 meters! US F-16 narrowly avoided Houthi missile
The Houthis really did beat the expert with a wild punch.
On the 22nd, the US "Air Force" magazine revealed an interview with two US pilots who carried out bombing missions against the Houthis in the Red Sea last year. The report stated that last year, these two US pilots were flying the "Falcon" fighter jet (F-16) to escort the B-2 bomber when they almost got hit by a Houthi surface-to-air missile.
According to the US media's account, the reason why the US aircraft almost got hit was not because the Houthis had access to any advanced technology, on the contrary, their attack method was quite simple and crude: the Houthis remained silent until they were ready to launch missiles at the US aircraft, then suddenly turned on the radar, causing the US aircraft to fail to detect it in time, only having about 15 to 20 seconds to react.
According to one pilot's recollection, the closest the Houthi missile came to one of the US aircraft was about 9 meters, almost passing by each other. This pilot escaped by making an emergency maneuver on the aircraft.
From the US media's report, although the Houthis are limited by their technical level and cannot achieve full tracking and continuous monitoring of US aircraft, they have developed a "basic" air defense and anti-ship tactic through long-term military confrontation with Saudi Arabia and the US. The missiles and drones they launched have forced the US ships and aircraft to take extreme evasive actions, bringing real trouble and risks to the so-called "strongest military in the world" at low cost.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858006251069447/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.