Conflict catalog
2014 Yemen Civil War: Weapons and Equipment
Missiles, drones, air defense, armored vehicles, and weapons used by state forces, coalition militaries, and non-state armed groups in Yemen.
The 2014 Yemen Civil War began with the Houthi takeover of Sanaa in 2014 and widened after a Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support Yemen's internationally recognized government. Since then, front lines have shifted between northern Houthi-held areas, government and coalition positions in the south and east, the Saudi-Yemeni border, and the Red Sea approaches, while UN mediation has produced partial de-escalation without a final settlement.
This catalog is structured for weapons and equipment used by Houthi-aligned forces, Yemen's internationally recognized government and Saudi-led coalition partners, southern forces, AQAP-linked and Islamic State-Yemen militants, and external strike forces operating in Yemen.
Relevant systems may include missiles, one-way attack drones, air defense equipment, armored vehicles, aircraft, and small arms as entries are added.
225 weapon systemsConflict Actors
Houthi-aligned forces / Internationally recognized government and anti-Houthi local forces / Jihadist militant factions / External anti-Houthi strike forces
Internationally recognized government and anti-Houthi local forces
112 weapon systems in this catalogJihadist militant factions
5 weapon systems in this catalog
External anti-Houthi strike forces
12 weapon systems in this catalog
Context
- Status
- Published catalog
- Location
- Yemen, with major conflict axes around Sanaa, Aden, Hodeidah, Marib, Taiz, the Saudi-Yemeni border, and the Red Sea/Bab el-Mandeb approaches
- Countries
- Yemen, Saudi Arabia
- Regions
- Sanaa, Aden, Hodeidah, Marib, Taiz, Saada, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb
- Domains
- land, air, maritime, missile strikes, UAV, air defense, naval, border clashes, insurgency
The Yemen catalog is shaped by mixed conventional and irregular warfare: small arms and heavy machine guns on urban and rural fronts, Saudi-led coalition armored vehicles and artillery, U.S. and Israeli strikes on Houthi targets, air-launched precision weapons, shipborne air defense, Patriot/PAC-3 interceptors, AQAP and Islamic State-Yemen strike contexts, and Houthi missile, UAV, and maritime attack activity. Open-source evidence is uneven, so the catalog separates confirmed battlefield use from documented transfers, interdictions, and border or maritime operations.
Map
Yemen, with major conflict axes around Sanaa, Aden, Hodeidah, Marib, Taiz, the Saudi-Yemeni border, and the Red Sea/Bab el-Mandeb approaches
Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Timeline
Key Events
Houthi forces take Sanaa
Houthi-aligned forces overran Yemen's capital after protests and a breakdown in the political transition, beginning the conflict phase represented in this catalog.
Sources: ACLED Yemen Conflict Methodology, CFR Yemen and Red Sea Tracker
Saudi-led coalition intervenes
After Houthi-aligned forces advanced toward Aden and President Hadi fled, Saudi Arabia and coalition partners began an air, naval, and ground campaign backing the internationally recognized government.
Sources: CFR Yemen and Red Sea Tracker, UN Security Council Resolution 2216
Stockholm Agreement creates a Hodeidah framework
UN-led talks produced the Stockholm Agreement, including arrangements for Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Isa, a prisoner-exchange mechanism, and a statement of understanding on Taiz.
Sources: OSESGY Stockholm Agreement
Marib and cross-border strikes intensify
A Houthi offensive toward Marib and missile and UAV attacks against Saudi Arabia and the UAE highlighted the conflict's air-defense, missile, and UAV dimensions.
Sources: CFR Yemen and Red Sea Tracker
UN-mediated truce begins
A nationwide UN-mediated truce halted offensive ground, air, and naval operations and produced a substantial de-escalation, even though a comprehensive peace deal did not follow.
Sources: OSESGY Truce Agreement, ACLED Yemen Conflict Methodology
Parties commit to a UN roadmap process
The UN Special Envoy reported commitments toward a roadmap covering a nationwide ceasefire, economic measures, and a resumed intra-Yemeni political process.
Sources: OSESGY Roadmap Update
Security Council addresses Red Sea attacks
UN Security Council Resolution 2722 condemned Houthi attacks on merchant and commercial vessels, linking the Yemen conflict to maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Sources: UN Security Council Resolution 2722, CFR Yemen and Red Sea Tracker
Phases
Houthi takeover and constitutional crisis
Houthi-aligned forces expanded from protests and armed pressure in Sanaa into a takeover of state institutions, house arrest of senior officials, and an advance toward Aden.
Coalition intervention and high-intensity war
Saudi Arabia and coalition partners intervened for the internationally recognized government, while fighting included coalition airstrikes, naval operations, armored deployments, border artillery, and Houthi missile and UAV activity.
Stockholm framework and contested front lines
The Stockholm Agreement reduced fighting around Hodeidah but did not end the wider war; Marib, Taiz, border areas, and cross-border missile and UAV attacks remained central to the equipment record.
UN truce and roadmap diplomacy
The UN truce lowered large-scale hostilities, and later mediation focused on ceasefire, economic, and political roadmap commitments while local clashes and fragmented security actors persisted.
Red Sea escalation and unresolved civil war
Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and subsequent international military responses added maritime and long-range strike layers to a Yemen conflict whose domestic settlement remained unresolved.
External Support
Saudi Arabia and coalition partners provided direct military support to Yemen's internationally recognized government through air, naval, ground, and border operations, while U.S. support to the coalition included logistical and intelligence assistance earlier in the war. UN sanctions reporting and maritime interdiction records document continuing concern over arms flows to Houthi forces, including weapons and components assessed as linked to Iran, and the UAE retained influence through local partner forces after reducing its direct role.
Images
Weapons
2014 Yemen Civil War Weapon Systems
Role
Frontline Assault
Used directly in attacks, advances, raids, or offensive ground operations.
Role
Defensive Holding
Used to defend positions, territory, cities, trenches, bases, or key terrain.
Role
Fire Support
Provided supporting fire for troops, vehicles, or maneuver units.
53 remaining
Role
Long-Range Strike
Attacked targets far behind the front line, such as bases, depots, headquarters, or infrastructure.
55 remaining
Role
Interdiction
Disrupted enemy movement, reinforcements, logistics, supply routes, or staging areas.
15 remaining
Role
Area Denial
Made a zone dangerous or unusable for enemy forces, aircraft, ships, or vehicles.
23 remaining
Role
Anti-Armor
Used primarily against tanks, armored vehicles, or mechanized forces.
12 remaining
Role
Air Defense
Used to detect, deter, or destroy aircraft, helicopters, drones, or missiles.
20 remaining
Role
Reconnaissance & Surveillance
Used to observe, locate, track, or monitor enemy forces.
3 remaining
Role
Targeting Support
Helped identify, designate, or correct fire against targets for other weapons.
Role
Command, Control & Communications
Provided command-and-control connectivity, communications relay, data exchange, or battlefield network support.
Role
Mobility & Logistics
Supported transport, supply, repair, evacuation, fuel, ammunition, or movement across terrain.
15 remaining
Role
Captured, Seized & Recovered
Captured, recovered, seized, interdicted, or otherwise documented as conflict materiel, especially where operational use is uncertain.
26 remaining
Role
Force Protection
Protected troops, vehicles, bases, convoys, ships, or infrastructure from attack.
26 remaining
Role
Deterrence
Discouraged enemy action by threatening serious costs or escalation.
Role
Symbolic Weapon
Became politically, culturally, or visually associated with the conflict.
Role
Asymmetric Advantage
Helped a weaker or less conventional force offset a stronger opponent.
4 remaining
Role
Insurgent / Guerrilla Use
Used by irregular forces for ambushes, raids, harassment, or resistance warfare.
17 remaining
Role
Training & Foreign Aid
Supplied mainly to train, equip, or support an allied or proxy force.
10 remaining
Conflict Sources
UN/OSESGY sources are used for mediation and Security Council milestones; ACLED and CFR are used for broad conflict structure and recent developments. Open evidence for Yemen remains uneven, especially for remote front lines, arms-supply chains, and claims that distinguish transfer, interception, and confirmed battlefield use.
- CFR Yemen and Red Sea TrackerPublisher: Council on Foreign Relations | Note: Supports overview, major phases, coalition intervention, Red Sea escalation, and external-support context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- ACLED Yemen Conflict MethodologyPublisher: ACLED | Note: Supports the start of the conflict, actor complexity, truce-era de-escalation, and source-quality limits. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- UN Security Council Resolution 2216Publisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports the 2015 Security Council framing, arms embargo context, and demands after the Houthi takeover. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- OSESGY Stockholm AgreementPublisher: Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen | Note: Supports the December 2018 Stockholm Agreement, Hodeidah arrangements, prisoner exchange mechanism, and Taiz statement. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- OSESGY Truce AgreementPublisher: Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen | Note: Supports the April 2022 UN-mediated truce and the halt to offensive ground, aerial, and naval operations. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- OSESGY Roadmap UpdatePublisher: Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen | Note: Supports the December 2023 roadmap commitments toward ceasefire, economic measures, and renewed political talks. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- UN Security Council Resolution 2722Publisher: United Nations Digital Library | Note: Supports the January 2024 Security Council action on Houthi attacks against merchant and commercial vessels. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- UN Yemen Panel of Experts ReportsPublisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports sanctions-reporting context and source limits for arms flows and embargo-related claims. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- OpenStreetMap Yemen RelationPublisher: OpenStreetMap contributors | Note: Supports the map URL and general geographic framing for Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- Commons Sanaa Airstrike Damage ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance, caption, credit, and CC BY-SA 4.0 license. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
- Commons USS Gravely Weapons Cache ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance, caption, U.S. Navy credit, and public-domain license. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
.jpg){kind=link}