Conflict in Yemen

[Feanor]

It looks like the Saudis have basically infinite quantities of metal boxes to throw at the Houthis, because here's another dispatch full of burning Saudi armor. The only curious part is that this one features a rare bird. The Georgian Didgori armored car in Medevac version. It appears that the vehicle broken down, lost a wheel, and cost the Saudis dearly in losses.

A reminder, the Didgori is an armored body sitting on a Ford F-150 chassis.

ПродолжаютÑÑ Ð±Ð¾Ð¸ между хуÑитами и королевÑкими войÑками около ÑаудовÑкого г.Ðаджран - Юрий ЛÑмин
Очередной погроеменÑкими хуÑитами ÑаудовÑких позиций в приграничных районах королевÑтва - bmpd

 

[ngatimozart]

I don't see this war ending with a clear winner

Welcome to the forum cobber, I note that you have made a few posts. It would be better if you expanded them a bit because we have a rule about one line posts so I would suggest that you read the rules and also introduce yourself in the introduction thread.

 

[Mig-29M2]

Yemeni Houthi fighters continued to carry out attacks on Saudi Army positions in Saudi Arabia's southwest. This time the fighters targeted another position, during which Al-Shibl 2 light armored vehicles (LAVs) were destroyed.

Interestingly, one LAV flipped as it was reversing to take cover from Houthi anti-material sniper fire.

Video: Houthis annhilate the Saudi Army in Saudi's Asir

 

[Toblerone]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSV-2_Swift

This hybrid catamaran vessel, ex-US, then UAE seems to have been sunk by the Houthis. There is video evidence of the catastrophic explosions. An impressive display.

https://southfront.org/houthi-forces-destroyed-us-made-military-vessel-leased-by-uae/

 

[ASSAIL]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSV-2_Swift

This hybrid catamaran vessel, ex-US, then UAE seems to have been sunk by the Houthis. There is video evidence of the catastrophic explosions. An impressive display.

https://southfront.org/houthi-forces-destroyed-us-made-military-vessel-leased-by-uae/

There are a few videos on facebook now which show the attack and it simply proves how vulnerable unarmed ships are to this very straightforward and simple rocket attack (as reported). Even though HSV 2 was constructed to Lloyds civilian standards it seems to have had no chance. We obviously are unaware of what cargo was carried and if it contributed to the loss.

This event will certainly begin the LCS survivability debate all,over again, waiting for the "I told you so" armchair experts to crank up.

 

[Feanor]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSV-2_Swift

This hybrid catamaran vessel, ex-US, then UAE seems to have been sunk by the Houthis. There is video evidence of the catastrophic explosions. An impressive display.

https://southfront.org/houthi-forces-destroyed-us-made-military-vessel-leased-by-uae/

There are a few videos on facebook now which show the attack and it simply proves how vulnerable unarmed ships are to this very straightforward and simple rocket attack (as reported). Even though HSV 2 was constructed to Lloyds civilian standards it seems to have had no chance. We obviously are unaware of what cargo was carried and if it contributed to the loss.

This event will certainly begin the LCS survivability debate all,over again, waiting for the "I told you so" armchair experts to crank up.

I think that this might have more to do with poor mission planning. The Saudis and their allies are notorious for it.

 

[Feanor]

BDA on the HSV that the Houthis hit.

Фотографии Ñудна Swift поÑле Ð¿Ð¾Ð¿Ð°Ð´Ð°Ð½Ð¸Ñ Ð¿Ñ€Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¸Ð²Ð¾ÐºÐ¾Ñ€Ð°Ð±ÐµÐ»ÑŒÐ½Ð¾Ð¹ ракеты - bmpd

 

[gf0012-aust]

this is also in the odds and sods thread, so at some point one will be grafted

 

[Feanor]

The Saudis recently bombed a funeral procession in Yemen, killing at least 155, wounding hundreds. WARNING EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IMAGES

The total casualty count is still not in.

Бомбардировка Саны - Colonel Cassad

 

[gazzzwp]

Am I correct in thinking that the missiles fired at USS Mason today were of Iranian supply? Fortunately not very sophisticated or accurate. How much longer before one of them get's 'lucky'?

I don't think it will be much longer before the US decides to have a real 'crackdown' on these opportunistic forces be it the Houthis or Iran themselves.

 

[STURM]

What about the ''opportunistic'' Saudis? With the U.S. already facing so many issues over Syria; getting involved in Yemen wouldn't be wise. What ''crackdown'' do you have in mind and wouldn't such a ''crackdown'' be better applied in defeating IS in Syria and Iraq? Unless I'm mistaken the biggest danger is posed by IS; not the Houthis or Iran. What an ironic situation to be faced with : Iran has played a part in stemming the IS in Syria and Iraq [this is in the interests of the U.S.] but in Yemen is fighting against Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally. Has Saudi military intervention in Yemen benefited the U.S.? Has it contributed to regional stability?

We can't say for certain at the moment but did the people who fired the missile know that the target was a USN vessel or did they assume it was Saudi or UAE? If they didn't have a proper set up and like Hezbollah and the Hanit, had wired a missile system to a commercial radar, they wouldn't have know what they were firing at.

 

[gazzzwp]

What about the ''opportunistic'' Saudis? With the U.S. already facing so many issues over Syria; getting involved in Yemen wouldn't be wise. What ''crackdown'' do you have in mind and wouldn't such a ''crackdown'' be better applied in defeating IS in Syria and Iraq? Unless I'm mistaken the biggest danger is posed by IS; not the Houthis or Iran. What an ironic situation to be faced with : Iran has played a part in stemming the IS in Syria and Iraq [this is in the interests of the U.S.] but in Yemen is fighting against Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally. Has Saudi military intervention in Yemen benefited the U.S.? Has it contributed to regional stability?

We can't say for certain at the moment but did the people who fired the missile know that the target was a USN vessel or did they assume it was Saudi or UAE? If they didn't have a proper set up and like Hezbollah and the Hanit, had wired a missile system to a commercial radar, they wouldn't have know what they were firing at.

Well it did occur to me exactly why the Mason was in the region so close to Yemen in the first place. Was it in response to the attack on the HSV 2 Catamaran a couple of weeks ago? If so what were they hoping to achieve?

 

[Waylander]

Am I correct in thinking that the missiles fired at USS Mason today were of Iranian supply? Fortunately not very sophisticated or accurate. How much longer before one of them get's 'lucky'?

I don't think it will be much longer before the US decides to have a real 'crackdown' on these opportunistic forces be it the Houthis or Iran themselves.

Could just as well have been a C-802 from Yemeni stocks. They often enough used Tochkas from the same stocks to good effect so why not an AShM.

I also don't think that the US will get involved there apart from some opportunistic strikes against high value terror targets and reluctant supply of weapons and equipment to the Saudis.

In fact I think the US woupdn't care a bit about the Saudis getting a bloody nose in Yemen and tasting some of their own medicine if it weren't for the possibility of it destabilizing the Kingdom in the long run.

 

[Feanor]

Could just as well have been a C-802 from Yemeni stocks. They often enough used Tochkas from the same stocks to good effect so why not an AShM.

I also don't think that the US will get involved there apart from some opportunistic strikes against high value terror targets and reluctant supply of weapons and equipment to the Saudis.

In fact I think the US woupdn't care a bit about the Saudis getting a bloody nose in Yemen and tasting some of their own medicine if it weren't for the possibility of it destabilizing the Kingdom in the long run.

A better question might be why the US gave them the green light to go ahead in the first place.

 

[STURM]

Yes and how much influence does the U.S. really have with Saudi? The Saudis are very annoyed that the U.S. didn't launch strikes on Syria and reached a deal with Iran over the nuclear issue. Even if the U.S. had expressed its displeasure with Saudi plans to get involved in Yemen, the Saudis would still have gone ahead with their plans anyway. The U.S. then would have had no choice but to publicly announce that it would provide the Saudi with support and intelligence.

The U.S. has announced that an “an immediate review” will be done over support provided to the Saudis, as well as changes “to better align with U.S. principles, values and interests'' but it remains to be seen if the Saudis will take notice and whether the U.S. is really serious in applying pressure on the Saudis. Despite whatever differences it has with Saudi the U.S. can't afford to let things get worse; the Saudis could get more uncooperative than they already are over Syria and they do spend a lot of money on U.S. gear.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/10/world/middleeast/yemen-saudi-arabia-military.html?_r=0

https://www.ft.com/content/b1f8f262-8f01-11e6-8df8-d3778b55a923

 

[gazzzwp]

Could just as well have been a C-802 from Yemeni stocks. They often enough used Tochkas from the same stocks to good effect so why not an AShM.

I also don't think that the US will get involved there apart from some opportunistic strikes against high value terror targets and reluctant supply of weapons and equipment to the Saudis.

In fact I think the US woupdn't care a bit about the Saudis getting a bloody nose in Yemen and tasting some of their own medicine if it weren't for the possibility of it destabilizing the Kingdom in the long run.

The ex Commander of The USS Cole (Kirk Lippold) comments on the likelihood that the US could strike Iran over these missile attacks and what other options there may be.

How far will Iran have to go before a US counterstrike? | On Air Videos | Fox News

Interesting viewing.

 

[STURM]

First there has to be watertight proof that Iran was behind the launch of the missiles and that the target was indeed a USN ship. If it's determined that the missile indeed was of Iranian origin but was fired by the Houthis [without Iranian participation or encouragement] then any talk of retaliation would be silly and counterproductive. Someone could also ask: if the missile was a C-802 fired by Houthis; would there be retaliation on China?

A strike on Iran would show that the U.S. can't be trifled and would make both U.S. hawks and the Gulf States happy but there would also be long term consequences. It could lead to a widespread war [one that might be damaging to the U.S. despite military successes] and could lead to Iran being forced to lessen its involvement in Syria and Iraq against IS; not in the interests of the U.S.

 

[Ranger25]

First there has to be watertight proof that Iran was behind the launch of the missiles and that the target was indeed a USN ship. If it's determined that the missile indeed was of Iranian origin but was fired by the Houthis [without Iranian participation or encouragement] then any talk of retaliation would be silly and counterproductive. Someone could also ask: if the missile was a C-802 fired by Houthis; would there be retaliation on China?

A strike on Iran would show that the U.S. can't be trifled and would make both U.S. hawks and the Gulf States happy but there would also be long term consequences. It could lead to a widespread war [one that might be damaging to the U.S. despite military successes] and could lead to Iran being forced to lessen its involvement in Syria and Iraq against IS; not in the interests of the U.S.

Agreed, way to early to target Iran proper.

An alternate course now that the Swift was sunk and US fired at would be to Surveil the coastline for launchers and preemptively strike them thus maintaining safe passage of sea lanes etc, etc.

Makes a strong point without enlarging the conflict beyond its current borders

 

[Ranger25]

Updates on attack of the USS Mason

Here's a good accounting of the facts on the Silkworm launch. USN confirms the Mason fired two SM-2s and an ESSP against the incoming threats. They would not elaborate on effectiveness.

The crew of a guided-missile destroyer fired three missiles to defend themselves and another ship after being attacked on Sunday in the Red Sea by two presumed cruise missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi-forces, USNI News has learned.

During the attack against USS Mason (DDG-87), the ship’s crew fired the missiles to defend the guided-missile destroyer and nearby USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) from two suspected cruise missiles fired from the Yemini shore, two defense officials told USNI News.

Mason launched two Standard Missile-2s (SM-2s) and a single Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM) to intercept the two missiles that were launched about 7 P.M. local time. In addition to the missiles, the ship used its Nulka anti-ship missile decoy, the sources confirmed. Mason was operating in international waters north of the strait of Bab el-Mandeb at the time of the attack.

According to a defense official on Monday, Mason “employed onboard defensive measures” against the first suspected cruise missile, “although it is unclear whether this led to the missile striking the water or whether it would have struck the water anyway.” The official did not specify that the defensive measure was a missile fired from the ship.

USNI News understands, as of Monday, the crew of the ship was uncertain if the suspected cruise missile was taken out by an SM-2 or went into the water on its own. In the Monday statement, the Pentagon said an investigation was ongoing.
While the Pentagon will not confirm details of Mason’s engagement, the use of both missiles by the U.S. is, “very significant,” Bryan Clark, a naval analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and former aide to retired former-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, told USNI News on Monday.

“It might be the first time the SM-2 used against an actual threat for which it was designed,” Clark said.
“It’s definitely the first time ESSM has been used… This is obviously a huge deal.”


Full article here

https://news.usni.org/2016/10/11/us...s-to-defend-from-yemen-cruise-missiles-attack





Also released photos of the impacts in the strike in the Swift.

https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Screen-Shot-2016-10-11-at-2.09.00-PM.png

 

[Rimasta]

Looks like the USS Mason (DDG-87) came under missile attack again today making it the second such attack in four days. Not many details out yet but apparently the USS San Antonio (LPD-17) was with the Mason.

www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news...ory-in-yemen-at-u-s-navy-ships/?client=safari

Seems like some type of response could be imminent although the Pentagon has acknowledged not knowing exactly who fired the missiles.