2014 Yemen Civil War

BLU-109 penetrator warhead in the 2014 Yemen Civil War

The BLU-109 appears in the 2014 Yemen Civil War through U.S.-approved transfers and sustainment for Saudi and Emirati coalition air operations, and through OSMP-identified U.S. GBU-31/BLU-109 carriage during 2025 anti-Houthi strikes.

Weapon profileBLU-109 penetrator warhead
SideYemeni government and Saudi-led coalition forcesUnited StatesRoleLong-Range StrikeTraining & Foreign Aid
BLU-109 penetrator warhead, 2,000-pound hard-target penetrator warhead, Munitions - 2014 Yemen Civil War
Image source: BLU-109 aboard F-16

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Saudi Arabia requested 1,500 BLU-109 2,000-pound penetrator warheads in a November 2015 U.S. air-to-ground munitions package.

Sources: DSCA Saudi Air-to-Ground Munitions

The UAE requested 750 GBU-31V3 munitions with BLU-109 bombs, and DSCA tied the package to UAE support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Sources: DSCA UAE JDAM Sustainment

Mwatana, University Network for Human Rights, and PAX describe Saudi Arabia and the UAE as leading coalition air operations in Yemen and discuss U.S. Paveway and JDAM transfers in that campaign context.

Sources: Day Of Judgment

CENTCOM began precision strikes against Houthi targets across Yemen on March 15, 2025.

Sources: CENTCOM March 2025 Yemen Strikes, CRS Yemen In Brief

OSMP identified BLU-109/GBU-31 munitions in CENTCOM Red Sea imagery dated March 18 and April 7, 2025.

Sources: OSMP 1212 Red Sea BLU-109, OSMP 1213 Red Sea BLU-109, OSMP 1314 Red Sea BLU-109

Timeline

BLU-109 penetrator warhead In 2014 Yemen Civil War

  1. UAE BLU-109/JDAM package notified

    DSCA notified Congress of a proposed UAE JDAM sustainment package including 750 GBU-31V3 munitions with BLU-109 bombs, describing the UAE as part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

    Sources: DSCA UAE JDAM Sustainment

  2. Saudi BLU-109 package notified

    DSCA notified Congress of a proposed Saudi air-to-ground munitions package including 1,500 BLU-109 2,000-pound penetrator warheads and JDAM tail kits.

    Sources: DSCA Saudi Air-to-Ground Munitions

  3. CENTCOM opens expanded anti-Houthi strike campaign

    U.S. Central Command announced precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to restore freedom of navigation.

    Sources: CENTCOM March 2025 Yemen Strikes, CRS Yemen In Brief

  4. OSMP catalogs BLU-109/GBU-31 carriage

    OSMP identified CENTCOM imagery from the Red Sea as showing GBU-31 JDAM munitions with BLU-109 bomb bodies.

    Sources: OSMP 1212 Red Sea BLU-109, OSMP 1213 Red Sea BLU-109

  5. Additional BLU-109/GBU-31 imagery cataloged

    OSMP cataloged another CENTCOM image as BLU-109, GBU-31 JDAM, and JDAM kit evidence in the Red Sea strike context.

    Sources: OSMP 1314 Red Sea BLU-109

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The strongest public evidence for the BLU-109 in Yemen separates transfer and fielding. In November 2015, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a proposed Saudi air-to-ground munitions package that included 1,500 BLU-109 2,000-pound penetrator warheads and GBU-31(V)3 JDAM tail kits; DSCA said the package replenished Royal Saudi Air Force weapons supplies depleted by high operational tempo. A separate November 2015 DSCA notice for the United Arab Emirates included 750 GBU-31V3 munitions with BLU-109 bombs and stated that the sale would sustain the UAE as part of the Saudi-led coalition seeking to restore Yemen's legitimate government.

Open Source Munitions Portal later cataloged U.S. Central Command imagery from March 18 and April 7, 2025 as showing GBU-31 JDAM munitions with BLU-109 bomb bodies in the Red Sea during U.S. operations against Houthi targets. CENTCOM publicly stated that on March 15, 2025 it began precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to restore freedom of navigation.

Sources: DSCA Saudi Air-to-Ground Munitions, DSCA UAE JDAM Sustainment, OSMP 1212 Red Sea BLU-109, OSMP 1213 Red Sea BLU-109, OSMP 1314 Red Sea BLU-109, CENTCOM March 2025 Yemen Strikes

Timeline

The BLU-109 record begins in the first year of the Saudi-led intervention with proposed U.S. sales to two coalition air forces. DSCA's Saudi notification, dated November 13, 2015, listed BLU-109 penetrator warheads among a larger package of bombs, JDAM kits, fuzes, components, support, and training. DSCA's UAE notification, delivered to Congress on November 4, 2015, listed 750 GBU-31V3 munitions with BLU-109 bombs and tied the sale to both Operation Inherent Resolve and the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

The later U.S. operational evidence belongs to the Red Sea escalation phase of the same canonical Yemen conflict. CENTCOM announced the start of a Yemen strike operation on March 15, 2025; OSMP then identified BLU-109/GBU-31 munitions in CENTCOM imagery dated March 18 and April 7, 2025.

Sources: DSCA Saudi Air-to-Ground Munitions, DSCA UAE JDAM Sustainment, CENTCOM March 2025 Yemen Strikes, OSMP 1212 Red Sea BLU-109, OSMP 1213 Red Sea BLU-109, OSMP 1314 Red Sea BLU-109, CRS Yemen In Brief

Role in the Yemen conflict

In Saudi and Emirati service, the public record supports a coalition air-campaign role rather than a documented individual strike with a named BLU-109 remnant. The Mwatana, University Network for Human Rights, and PAX report describes Saudi Arabia and the UAE as leading coalition air operations in Yemen and treats U.S. Paveway and JDAM transfers as part of the weapons flow that supported that campaign. The DSCA notices provide the specific BLU-109 quantities and the coalition-sustainment language.

In U.S. service, the 2025 evidence is closer to fielding evidence: OSMP identified complete BLU-109/GBU-31 munitions in official CENTCOM imagery during the U.S. anti-Houthi strike campaign. The cited OSMP records do not identify a specific Yemeni target hit by a BLU-109, so the documented claim is carriage and fielding in the strike campaign rather than a verified post-strike remnant at a named impact site.

Sources: Day Of Judgment, DSCA Saudi Air-to-Ground Munitions, DSCA UAE JDAM Sustainment, OSMP 1212 Red Sea BLU-109, OSMP 1213 Red Sea BLU-109, OSMP 1314 Red Sea BLU-109

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Sources