Profile
- Type
- Loitering munition / UAV
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- Yemen
- Service note
- 2019-present
Aircraft & UAVs
Qasef-2K loitering munition / UAV
The Qasef-2K is a Houthi-designated loitering munition and one-way attack UAV used in the Yemen Civil War. Open-source reporting links it to the Ababil-T family and to attacks on military parades and Saudi airport targets.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Built by
- Houthi drone workshops
- Built in
- Yemen
Service History
- In service
- Documented in Houthi use during the Yemen Civil War from 2019 onward.
- Used by
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Houthi movement
- Designed
- Late 2010s
- Built by
- Houthi drone workshops
- Built in
- Yemen
- Produced
- Late 2010s-present
Specifications
- Range
- About 100-150 km
- Warhead
- About 30-45 kg explosive payload
- Guidance
- GPS guidance with pre-programmed waypoints
- Airframe
- Ababil-T/Ababil-II family derivative
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: One-way attack UAV
Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi-aligned forces in the 10 January 2019 al-Anad military parade attack.
Qasef-2K loitering munition / UAV Images
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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: 2026-06-20Iran’s Drone Transfers to ProxiesPublisher: USIP Iran Primer | Note: Supports Qasef-1/Qasef-2K family background, Ababil-T similarity, range, flight time, and payload estimates relevant to the Qasef-2K. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AP Explains: How Yemen's Rebels Increasingly Deploy DronesPublisher: Voice of America | Note: Yemen Civil War: used by Houthi forces in the 10 January 2019 al-Anad attack. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Yemen Update: June 17-June 26Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Yemen Civil War: reported Qasef-2K used by Houthi militants in the 24 June 2019 Abha airport attack. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Qasef-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: 2026-06-20Qasef-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: 2026-06-20Qasef-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: 2026-06-20