Houthi explosive unmanned surface vessels are one-way maritime attack craft used for Red Sea and Gulf of Aden interdiction. The family spans converted patrol-boat and fishing-skiff patterns, with CAR documenting a remote-controlled 2017 WBIED conversion and CENTCOM, AP, JMIC, and MARAD reporting later Red Sea crisis attacks against merchant shipping, including M/V Tutor, Magic Seas, and Eternity C.
Used by Houthi forces in the Red Sea shipping campaign, from an armed USV detonation near commercial and naval traffic in January 2024 through the June 2024 M/V Tutor hit and later Magic Seas and Eternity C attacks involving explosive USVs or drone boats.
Role detailsUsed by Houthi forces in the Yemen war as explosive waterborne attack craft, with the January 30, 2017 Al Madinah strike near Hudaydah documented as an unmanned or waterborne improvised explosive-device attack and later Houthi USV use reported against coalition-linked maritime targets.
Role detailsThe sourced record spans Yemen-war attacks on coalition targets and later Red Sea crisis use against merchant shipping.
| Date | Incident | Documented significance |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-30 | Al Madinah attack | MARAD identified the Hudaydah-area strike on a Saudi frigate as a WBIED attack, and USNI reported the U.S. Navy assessment that the explosive boat was unmanned and remotely guided. |
| 2024-01-04 | Red Sea USV detonation | AP reported that an armed Houthi USV launched from Yemen detonated near U.S. Navy and commercial vessels, the first reported Houthi USV use of the Red Sea commercial-shipping campaign. |
| 2024-06-12 | M/V Tutor hit | CENTCOM reported that a Houthi USV struck the bulk carrier Tutor, causing severe flooding and engine-room damage; AP later reported the ship sank. |
| 2025-07-06 | Magic Seas attack | JMIC reported a small-craft attack involving multiple USVs, including two impacts, before the vessel was boarded and later sunk. |
| 2025-07-07 | Eternity C attack | AP reported that Eternity C sank after a Houthi attack in which EU forces said bomb-carrying drone boats were used after the initial small-arms and RPG assault. |
Public evidence describes the Houthi family as a design lineage rather than a single standardized model. Early Yemen-war examples used converted patrol boats, while later Red Sea crisis reporting identifies purpose-built or skiff-style explosive USVs used against merchant traffic.
CAR inspected a 10 m Al Fattan patrol boat converted for remote command with video, GPS, autopilot, throttle output, pressure-switch initiation, and an RDX/P-15 Termit warhead explosive train.
Source: Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat' PDF.
UN Panel reporting described later 6-8 m skiff conversions with twin 75 hp Yamaha outboards and probable GPS-coordinate guidance for longer-distance attacks.
Source: UN Panel of Experts on Yemen S/2022/50.
IISS and maritime reporting describe USVs as one of several Houthi maritime attack vectors alongside anti-ship missiles and aerial drones.
Source: IISS Navigating Troubled Waters.
This family page covers Houthi explosive USV and drone-boat use across multiple designs. The linked WBIED record covers the CAR-documented patrol-boat conversion pattern in more detail.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | CAR-documented remote-controlled explosive boat pattern | Conflict Armament Research documented a recovered Houthi WBIED based on a 10 m Al Fattan patrol boat with remote-command electronics and a repurposed anti-ship missile warhead. Sources: Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat' PDF, IISS Navigating Troubled Waters |
MARAD identified the attack on a Saudi frigate near Hudaydah as a waterborne improvised explosive device incident, and USNI reported the U.S. Navy assessment that the explosive boat was unmanned and remotely guided.
Sources: MARAD Southern Red Sea WBIED Alert, USNI Al Madinah Unmanned Boat
AP reported that an armed unmanned surface vessel launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen detonated near U.S. Navy and commercial vessels, marking the first reported Houthi USV use of the Red Sea shipping campaign.
Sources: AP Houthis Launch Sea Drone
CENTCOM said three Houthi unmanned surface vessels were launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Carney and Red Sea shipping lanes.
Sources: March 5 Red Sea Update
CENTCOM reported that a Houthi USV struck the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Tutor in the Red Sea, causing severe flooding and engine-room damage; AP later reported the ship sank.
Sources: June 12 USCENTCOM Update, Ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels in fatal assault sinks in Red Sea, Houthis score first hit on Red Sea ship with drone boat
AP reported that Tutor sank in the Red Sea days after the June 12 attack, underscoring the damage caused by the bomb-carrying surface craft.
Sources: Ship attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels in fatal assault sinks in Red Sea
JMIC reported that Magic Seas was attacked by small craft including multiple USVs, two of which struck the vessel before Houthi forces boarded and later sank it.
Sources: JMIC Magic Seas Information Note 117, MARAD 2026-006 Houthi Attacks Advisory
AP reported that Eternity C later sank after a Houthi attack; EU naval forces said attackers used two bomb-carrying drone boats after the initial small-arms and RPG assault.
Sources: AP Eternity C Sinking, MARAD 2026-006 Houthi Attacks Advisory
