Aircraft & UAVs

Qasef-2K loitering munition / UAV

Also known as
  • Striker-2K
  • Qasef 2K

The Qasef-2K is a Houthi one-way attack UAV and loitering munition in the Qasef/Ababil-T family. Open-source reporting ties the type to the 10 January 2019 al-Anad parade attack, a reported 23 June 2019 Abha airport strike, and a July 2019 Houthi unveiling in Sana'a, while technical sources caution that its differences from Qasef-1 are not clearly established.

Qasef-2K loitering munition / UAV, Loitering munition / UAV, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Qasef-1.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Yemen
Type
Loitering munition / UAV
Service note
2019-present
Designer
Houthi movement
Designed
Late 2010s
Produced
Late 2010s-present

Specifications

Range
About 100-150 km family-class estimate
Warhead
About 30-45 kg high-explosive payload class
Guidance
GPS guidance with pre-programmed waypoints, reported for the Qasef family
Airframe
Qasef/Ababil-T family derivative; differences from Qasef-1 are unclear in open sources
Attack profile
Designed to detonate about 20 m above the target and shower shrapnel downward
Variants

Open-source reporting describes Qasef-2K as an improved or later Qasef-family model, but CSIS cautions that it looks nearly identical to Qasef-1 and that the practical differences are unclear.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Qasef-1 loitering munition / UAV, Loitering munition / UAV, Aircraft & UAVsQasef-1 loitering munition / UAVEarlier Qasef-family model

PAX, USIP, and CSIS place Qasef-2K in the same Qasef/Ababil-T-linked family as Qasef-1, with open-source differences between the two models left unclear.

Sources: Violent Skies, Iran’s Drone Transfers to Proxies, The Missile War in Yemen

Timeline

Qasef-2K loitering munition / UAV Key Events

  1. Al-Anad parade attack

    VOA and AP reporting tie Qasef-2K to the Houthi drone attack on the al-Anad military parade in southern Yemen.

    Sources: AP Explains: How Yemen's Rebels Increasingly Deploy Drones, Yemen peace talks at risk after several killed in Houthi drone attack

  2. Reported in Abha airport strike

    CSIS Missile Threat reported that a Qasef-2K struck the Abha airport parking lot on 23 June 2019, killing one person and wounding others.

    Sources: Yemen Update: June 17-June 26

  3. Public unveiling in Sana'a

    USIP described the Houthis unveiling Qasef-2K in July 2019 as a later entry in the same family of locally produced strike drones.

    Sources: Iran’s Drone Transfers to Proxies

Distinguishing Features

Qasef-2K is documented as a later Houthi Qasef-family attack drone, but the public record does not clearly separate every hardware difference from Qasef-1. The most useful distinctions are how the named model appeared in conflict reporting and how sources describe its attack effect.

Family line

PAX, USIP, and CSIS place the type in the Qasef/Ababil-T-linked family, with Qasef-1 as the closest cataloged predecessor.

Attack effect

AP/VOA and The Guardian reported the Qasef-2K as an airburst-style weapon designed to detonate roughly 20 m above a target and scatter fragments downward.

Attribution limit

CSIS describes Qasef-2K as nearly identical in appearance to Qasef-1 and says the practical differences remain unclear in open reporting.

Sources: Violent Skies; Iran’s Drone Transfers to Proxies; The Missile War in Yemen; AP Explains: How Yemen's Rebels Increasingly Deploy Drones; Yemen peace talks at risk after several killed in Houthi drone attack.

Media

Qasef-2K loitering munition / UAV Images

Qasef-2K loitering munition / UAV, Loitering munition / UAV, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: Qasef-1.jpg
Qasef-2K loitering munition / UAV, Loitering munition / UAV, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: Qasef-1.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
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Shahed-101, Small one-way attack UAV / loitering munition, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsShahed-101Small one-way attack UAV / loitering munitionThe Shahed-101 is a smaller Iranian one-way attack UAV in the wider Shahed loitering-munition family, publicly documented through recovered Iraqi material, Hezbollah launches toward Israel, Houthi use in Yemen, and Russian fielding against Ukraine. Open sources describe piston and electric-motor configurations, a compact warhead, satellite/inertial navigation, and a battlefield-to-mid-range strike role below the larger Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 classes. June 2025 Israel-Iran debris records identify a Shahed-101/107 series, but do not isolate the Shahed-101 submodel.

Sources

Violent SkiesPublisher: PAX | Note: Supports expert assessment that the Qasef-2K is produced domestically in Houthi drone workshops and belongs to the 100-150 km / 30-45 kg strike-drone class. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Iran’s Drone Transfers to ProxiesPublisher: USIP Iran Primer | Note: Supports Qasef-1/Qasef-2K family background, Ababil-T similarity, and the July 2019 Houthi unveiling of Qasef-2K, plus range, flight time, and payload estimates relevant to the system. | Accessed: 2026-07-04AP Explains: How Yemen's Rebels Increasingly Deploy DronesPublisher: Voice of America | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi-aligned forces in the 10 January 2019 al-Anad attack. | Accessed: 2026-07-04The Missile War in YemenPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Qasef-2K family background, the caution that it looks nearly identical to Qasef-1 with unclear differences, and 2014 Yemen Civil War reporting on explosive-laden Qasef-2K drones in summer 2019 Abha airport attacks. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Yemen Update: June 17-June 26Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: reported Qasef-2K used by Houthi militants in the 23 June 2019 Abha airport parking-lot attack. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Yemen peace talks at risk after several killed in Houthi drone attackPublisher: The Guardian | Note: 2014 Yemen Civil War: reported Qasef-2K use in the 10 January 2019 al-Anad attack and described the drone as an airburst weapon designed to explode about 20 metres above the target. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Qasef-1.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Public-domain DoD image of a recovered Qasef-family UAV from Yemen, used here as a representative family image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Qasef-1 composition.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Public-domain DoD image of a Qasef-family UAV component on display after recovery from Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Qasef-1 flight path.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Public-domain DoD image showing the Qasef-family identification display used for provenance and technical context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04