2023 Red Sea Crisis

AGM-88 HARM in the 2023 Red Sea Crisis

U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers used AGM-88E AARGM missiles during Red Sea operations against Houthi targets in Yemen, including a Navy-confirmed February 2024 strike on a rotary-wing aircraft on the ground.

Weapon profileAGM-88 HARM
SideUnited States-led coalitionRoleElectronic WarfareLong-Range Strike
AGM-88 HARM, Air-to-surface anti-radiation missile, Munitions - 2023 Red Sea Crisis
Image source: AGM-88 HARM on F-4G

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers used AGM-88E AARGM missiles during the Red Sea Crisis.

Sources: AGM-88E AARGM Combat Use in Red Sea

A Navy-confirmed engagement involved a VAQ-130 Growler using an AGM-88E against a ground target that destroyed a rotary-wing aircraft.

Sources: AGM-88E AARGM Combat Use in Red Sea

The February 24, 2024 strike package hit Houthi targets in Yemen, including air-defense systems, radars, and a helicopter.

Sources: CENTCOM February 24 Yemen Strikes

EA-18G Growlers continued to be seen with AGM-88-family anti-radiation missiles during later Yemen operations.

Sources: EA-18G Four-Missile Yemen Mission

AARGM was developed as an improved anti-radiation missile for neutralizing enemy air defenses.

Sources: NAVAIR AARGM Product Page

Timeline

AGM-88 HARM In 2023 Red Sea Crisis

  1. Coalition strikes Houthi targets in Yemen

    CENTCOM said U.S., UK, and supporting partner forces struck 18 Houthi targets, including air-defense systems, radars, and a helicopter; a later Navy-confirmed account identified an EA-18G AGM-88E engagement during the same strike context.

    Sources: CENTCOM February 24 Yemen Strikes, AGM-88E AARGM Combat Use in Red Sea

  2. Navy-confirmed AARGM combat use reported

    The War Zone reported a Navy confirmation that an EA-18G Growler from the Eisenhower deployment used an AGM-88E AARGM in combat in the U.S. 5th Fleet region.

    Sources: AGM-88E AARGM Combat Use in Red Sea

  3. Growler anti-radiation missile loadout documented

    Reporting on CENTCOM imagery showed an EA-18G Growler launching during Yemen operations with four AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles or AGM-88E AARGMs.

    Sources: EA-18G Four-Missile Yemen Mission

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The AGM-88 family is documented in the 2023 Red Sea Crisis through U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler employment of the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile. In June 2024, The War Zone reported that the Navy confirmed an EA-18G from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower used an AGM-88E AARGM during the carrier strike group's deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet region.

The same report tied the engagement to February 24, 2024, when the Eisenhower carrier strike group led pre-planned self-defense strikes in Houthi-controlled Yemen. The Navy account cited by The War Zone described a VAQ-130 Growler conducting an air-to-surface AGM-88E engagement against a ground target that destroyed a rotary-wing aircraft, suspected to belong to Houthi forces. CENTCOM's public release for the February 24 strike package separately says U.S., UK, and supporting partner forces struck Houthi targets including air-defense systems, radars, and a helicopter.

Sources: AGM-88E AARGM Combat Use in Red Sea, CENTCOM February 24 Yemen Strikes

Timeline

On February 24, 2024, CENTCOM announced strikes against 18 Houthi targets in Yemen, including radars, air-defense systems, and a helicopter. The later Navy confirmation reported by The War Zone identified one weapon-specific piece of that campaign: an EA-18G Growler air-to-surface engagement with an AGM-88E AARGM against a ground target.

By April 2025, additional imagery from U.S. Red Sea operations showed EA-18G Growlers launching with anti-radiation missile loads during operations against Houthi targets in Yemen. That imagery supports continued fielding of the HARM/AARGM family in the campaign, while the February 2024 Navy-confirmed engagement remains the clearest public direct-use milestone for AGM-88E.

Sources: CENTCOM February 24 Yemen Strikes, AGM-88E AARGM Combat Use in Red Sea, EA-18G Four-Missile Yemen Mission

Narrative

In Red Sea Crisis service, the AGM-88E appeared as a carrier-based electronic-attack and precision-strike weapon rather than as a transferred system. The documented operator was the U.S. Navy, using EA-18G Growlers from deployed carrier air wings during operations intended to reduce Houthi threats to merchant shipping and naval forces around the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden.

The AARGM variant matters because it extends the older AGM-88 HARM mission beyond simple passive homing on radar emissions. NAVAIR identifies the AGM-88E AARGM as a medium-range air-to-ground missile for suppression or destruction of enemy air defenses, including relocatable targets and targets using shutdown tactics. In the Red Sea case, The War Zone's Navy-confirmed account says the AGM-88E was used against a rotary-wing aircraft on the ground, illustrating the missile's reported use as a time-sensitive air-to-surface strike weapon as well as a radar-suppression munition.

Public sources do not establish a complete inventory of every AGM-88E launch in the campaign. The available record supports a narrower set of claims: U.S. Navy Growlers fielded the missile family in Houthi-related operations; a Navy-confirmed AGM-88E combat use occurred during the Eisenhower deployment; and the February 24, 2024 strike package included Houthi air-defense, radar, and helicopter targets in Yemen.

Sources: AGM-88E AARGM Combat Use in Red Sea, CENTCOM February 24 Yemen Strikes, EA-18G Four-Missile Yemen Mission, NAVAIR AARGM Product Page

Related Weapons by Role

AGM-86B/C/D Missiles, Air-launched cruise missile family, MunitionsMunitionsAGM-86B/C/D MissilesAir-launched cruise missile familyThe AGM-86B/C/D missiles are Boeing-built U.S. air-launched cruise missiles developed for B-52 bomber standoff strike. The AGM-86A prototype did not enter production; the longer-range AGM-86B became the nuclear ALCM, while the AGM-86C and AGM-86D CALCM conversions replaced the nuclear payload with conventional blast/fragmentation or penetrating warheads. Air Force material lists AGM-86B as the remaining active-force variant and says the C/D stockpile was demilitarized by October 2022.
EA-18G Growler, Carrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraft, Electronic WarfareElectronic WarfareEA-18G GrowlerCarrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraftThe EA-18G Growler is a Boeing-built electronic attack derivative of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, fielded to jam, detect, and attack hostile radars, communications, and air-defense networks while retaining missile carriage for suppression missions. U.S. Navy and Australian Growlers provide carrier or land-based electronic warfare support, with early combat deployment in Iraq and Libya in 2010-2011 and later documented use in 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve, Red Sea operations against Houthi forces, and the U.S.-Iran strike context.
Harpoon, Anti-ship cruise missile family, MunitionsMunitionsHarpoonAnti-ship cruise missile familyHarpoon is a U.S.-origin anti-ship cruise missile family used from aircraft, surface ships, submarines, and coastal launchers. The family combines sea-skimming flight with active radar terminal homing, while Block II adds GPS-aided inertial navigation for littoral anti-ship and land-attack missions and Block II+ adds a network-enabled upgrade path. Cataloged conflict use ranges from Iranian and Saudi naval launches in the late Cold War and Gulf War period to truck-mounted RGM-84 coastal defense missiles supplied for Ukraine's Black Sea defense.
AGM-158 JASSM, Air-launched standoff cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsAGM-158 JASSMAir-launched standoff cruise missileThe AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile is Lockheed Martin's low-observable, subsonic air-launched cruise missile family built to let bomber and fighter aircraft strike defended, high-value targets from standoff range. Its documented combat record includes baseline AGM-158A launches from B-1B bombers in the 2018 Syria missile strikes, AGM-158B use after the 2019 Baghdadi raid, reported Operation Rough Rider use against Houthi targets, and large-scale JASSM-family employment during the 2026 Iran War.
2 more weapons
Back to AGM-88 HARMBrowse 2023 Red Sea Crisis

Sources