Direct proof of use
Armament Research Services documented C-90 series rocket launchers in the Yemen war in an August 2016 report on Spanish weapons found in the conflict. The report identified the launchers in Houthi-aligned possession, described examples captured from Saudi or assumed Yemeni army positions near the Saudi-Yemeni border, and noted that the exact number captured was unclear.
The same report also described April 2016 imagery from Taiz showing crates of C90-CR series weapons reportedly delivered by Saudi or other coalition forces by parachute. ARES identified at least some of those systems as the C-90-CR-RB anti-tank variant, making the evidence a mix of capture, possession, and coalition delivery rather than a single documented firing incident.
Sources: ARES Yemen C90 Report
Timeline
Open reporting placed C-90 series launchers along the Saudi-Yemeni border in January 2016. El Pais reported that Yemen Fights Back showed a Spanish C90 launcher among weapons abandoned at Tuwal on January 8, and then showed two more C90s in Raboha about a week later.
By April 2016, imagery from Taiz showed C90-CR crates reportedly airdropped by Saudi or other coalition forces. ARES assessed the crate markings and packaging as consistent with C90-CR weapons and stated that the C90-CR-RB was the only C-90 variant specifically identified in Yemen at the time of publication.
Sources: El Pais Spanish Weapons in Yemen, ARES Yemen C90 Report
Narrative
The C-90 / C90-CR entered the Yemen record through Saudi-linked supply channels rather than a known direct Spanish export to Yemen. ARES reported that C90-CR launchers were sold to Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s, that Spain was not known to have exported C-90 series weapons to Yemen, and that Saudi Arabia was the likely source for examples later seen in Yemen.
For Houthi-aligned forces, the documented role was captured infantry anti-armor equipment. ARES wrote that Houthi forces had been documented with C-90 series launchers on several occasions and that the capture pathway was most likely battlefield capture from Saudi forces or from pro-Hadi Yemeni forces equipped by coalition partners.
The evidence supports cataloging the C-90 / C90-CR as fielded materiel in the 2014 Yemen Civil War, especially around border fighting and the Taiz supply context. It should not be read as proof of confirmed target engagement: the cited sources identify possession, capture, delivery, and likely anti-armor or anti-fortification utility, but they do not provide a verified combat firing incident.
Sources: ARES Yemen C90 Report, El Pais Spanish Weapons in Yemen
