Direct proof of use
Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 family aircraft were used by the Yemeni government and Saudi-led coalition side in the 2014 Yemen Civil War. The Washington Institute described Saudi-led air operations beginning on March 26, 2015, and listed the Saudi contribution as about 100 aircraft, mostly F-15S and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The Aviationist separately identified Operation Decisive Storm footage showing RSAF F-15S aircraft launching and recovering from King Khalid Air Base during the Yemen air war.
F-15 family aircraft also appeared in air-policing and air-defense roles around the conflict. The Aviationist reported that armed RSAF F-15s intercepted and escorted an Iranian Mahan Air Airbus A310 bound for Yemen in April 2015, while TWZ reported in 2021 that Saudi F-15s had become a routine part of intercepting Houthi drones and published video analysis of an F-15 shooting down a Qasef-series drone.
Sources: Washington Institute Yemen Air Campaign, Aviationist Operation Decisive Storm F-15S, Aviationist Iranian A310 Intercept, TWZ Saudi F-15 Drone Intercept, TWZ Saudi AMRAAM Drone Campaign
Timeline
On March 26, 2015, coalition air operations began after President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi requested intervention. The Washington Institute's air-campaign analysis listed Saudi F-15S aircraft among the main Saudi aircraft assigned to the campaign, and the Yemen Data Project later recorded Saudi-led coalition air raids from March 2015 through March 2022.
By early April 2015, open aviation reporting had identified RSAF F-15S aircraft in Operation Decisive Storm sortie footage. On April 30, 2015, reporting on the Iranian A310 incident placed armed Saudi F-15s in an intercept and escort role tied to Yemen-bound air traffic. In January and March 2018, Houthi-released and open-source video reporting showed or claimed engagements against Saudi F-15/F-15S aircraft over Yemen, illustrating the anti-air threat faced by coalition fast jets.
In 2021, Saudi F-15s were documented in the counter-UAV role. TWZ reported a video of a Saudi F-15 engaging a Houthi Qasef-series drone, and later connected Saudi AMRAAM purchases to continuing fighter-based interceptions of Houthi drones launched from Yemen.
Sources: Washington Institute Yemen Air Campaign, Yemen Data Project Saudi Air War, Aviationist Operation Decisive Storm F-15S, Aviationist Iranian A310 Intercept, TWZ F-15S FLIR Engagement, TWZ R-27 SAM Engagement, TWZ Saudi F-15 Drone Intercept, TWZ Saudi AMRAAM Drone Campaign
Operational role
The core F-15 role in the Yemen war was Saudi fixed-wing strike and air superiority support for the coalition campaign. Sources identify F-15S aircraft as part of the Saudi strike package rather than assigning a complete list of individual targets or battle-damage results to F-15 sorties. The Washington Institute connected Saudi F-15S aircraft to Operation Decisive Storm's air campaign, while the Aviationist footage analysis identified F-15S aircraft among aircraft launching and recovering during the operation.
Saudi F-15s also supported airspace control around Yemen. In the April 2015 Mahan Air incident, The Aviationist reported armed RSAF F-15s intercepting and escorting the aircraft before it turned back after Sanaa International Airport was struck and made unusable. That incident supports an air-policing role connected to the coalition's control of Yemen-bound air traffic, separate from ground-attack sorties.
From 2018 onward, public evidence also shows the F-15 family as both a target for Houthi improvised air defenses and a Saudi air-defense tool against Houthi drones. TWZ reported a January 2018 Houthi FLIR video said to show a Saudi F-15S hit by a surface-to-air missile over Yemen, and a March 2018 report on an R-27 converted into a surface-to-air missile said Houthis claimed the target was a Saudi F-15S. In 2021, TWZ reported Saudi F-15 drone interceptions and described RSAF fighter jets using AIM-120 missiles against Houthi drones, while noting that not every clip publicly identifies the exact Eagle variant or engagement location.
Sources: Washington Institute Yemen Air Campaign, Aviationist Operation Decisive Storm F-15S, Aviationist Iranian A310 Intercept, TWZ F-15S FLIR Engagement, TWZ R-27 SAM Engagement, TWZ Saudi F-15 Drone Intercept, TWZ Saudi AMRAAM Drone Campaign
