Explosive unmanned surface vessel

Conflict Usage

Red Sea Crisis

Side: Houthi movementRole: Kamikaze sea drone strike on merchant shippingstrike

Used by Houthi forces in the Red Sea Crisis when a bomb-carrying uncrewed surface vessel struck the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Tutor in June 2024, marking the first confirmed Houthi USV hit on a commercial ship.

Yemeni Civil War

Side: Houthi movementRole: One-way maritime strike against coalition and international shippingstrike

Used by Houthi forces in the Yemeni Civil War when US Central Command reported three Houthi unmanned surface vessels launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on March 5, 2024, toward USS Carney and Red Sea shipping lanes.

Explosive unmanned surface vessel Images

Related Weapon Systems

Aircraft & UAVsSea Baby USVNaval unmanned surface vehicleSea Baby is a Ukrainian naval unmanned surface vehicle developed and operated by the Security Service of Ukraine for long-range strike missions in the Black Sea. Official Ukrainian sources describe it as a small, fast USV able to carry a large explosive load over about 1,000 kilometers, giving Ukraine a domestically built means to attack Russian ships, port targets, and bridge infrastructure despite limited conventional naval forces.

MunitionsAnti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missiles are guided missiles designed to attack warships from ships, submarines, aircraft, or coastal launchers. In the Red Sea Crisis, Houthi forces fired the class from Yemen toward U.S. warships and Red Sea shipping, making it a central maritime threat in the campaign.

Naval SystemsMAGURA V5Unmanned surface vesselThe MAGURA V5 is a Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel built for reconnaissance, patrol, mine-warfare, fleet-security, and strike missions. In the Russia-Ukraine War it became one of Ukraine's best documented naval drones, used by Defence Intelligence units for long-range Black Sea attacks against Russian naval vessels.

ArtilleryBGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack MissileShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileThe BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, often abbreviated TLAM, is a U.S. all-weather, long-range subsonic cruise missile used by naval forces for deep precision strikes from surface ships and submarines. Modern Block IV and Block V weapons combine low-altitude flight, GPS-aided navigation, terrain matching, and in-flight retargeting, with recent documented use in Syria, the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes, Yemen, the Red Sea Crisis, and U.S. strikes on Iran.

ArtilleryIranian naval surface vesselsNaval surface vesselsIranian naval surface vessels in this archive include regular navy frigates and corvettes as well as IRGC Navy fast-attack craft and patrol boats. In the United States-Iran Conflict, they have been documented in tanker seizures, armed intimidation, and Strait of Hormuz/Gulf of Oman maritime coercion rather than blue-water fleet combat.

Aircraft & UAVsIranian small attack boatsSmall attack boat / fast attack craftIranian small attack boats are the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's fast-boat and swarm force for harassment, mine-laying, and littoral attack in the Strait of Hormuz. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. and Iranian reporting documented these boats as part of attacks on U.S. Navy destroyers transiting the strait.

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