Within less than 24 hours, Yemen's Houthi forces shot down three Saudi Air Force drones: one Rainbow-4 and two Wing Loong-2! On September 7, the Houthis announced that a second Wing Loong-2 armed drone was shot down over the Bayda province. Meanwhile, in al-Jawf province’s Habwa Shaf district, they claimed to have downed a Saudi Air Force Rainbow-4 armed drone. Just hours earlier, the Houthis reported shooting down a Saudi Air Force Wing Loong-2 armed drone in Taiz province.

On September 6, reports emerged from Yemen indicating that the Saudi Air Force had launched operations. It now appears that Saudi Arabia has deployed reconnaissance-strike integrated armed drones. In just 24 hours, the Houthi forces shot down three such reconnaissance-strike drones, marking a significant escalation in the situation in Yemen!

Besides downing Saudi Air Force armed drones, on the battlefield in Yemen, Houthi forces have also launched multiple FPV suicide drones equipped with fiber-optic guidance systems. Some of these drones and FPV suicide drones were intercepted and shot down.

The Wing Loong costs $3 million per unit, while American counterparts cost $30 million. For Saudi Arabia, this price is entirely affordable. After all, for the Saudi Air Force, a $3 million piston-engine Wing Loong drone costs about as much as a cruise missile—using it five or six times to complete multiple missions and recoup its cost would already be considered a victory.

During World War II, American bomber pilots needed to complete 25 missions before being reassigned to safer rear areas. Today, with drones, no human lives are lost. The value can simply be assessed by comparing cost to mission capacity. As long as the drone completes its assigned sortie count, it’s worth more than a cruise missile.

High-end drones should be judged based on models like Algeria’s purchased WJ-700—an jet-powered drone featuring stealth design and advanced avionics, capable of flying high and fast. Such drones only hurt when hit. Non-stealth drones, however, are inherently expendable. As long as they aren’t discontinued like the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper armed drone, each loss reduces inventory—just one less available.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875661918850059/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.