Profile
- Type
- Reconnaissance and loitering munition UAV
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Origin
- Yemen
- Service note
- Yemen Civil War, late 2010s-present
Aircraft & UAVs
Samad-2 UAV
The Samad-2 is the Houthi Samad family’s longer-range UAV-X variant, documented in Yemen Civil War reporting as a reconnaissance-or-attack drone with an explosive payload and V-tail pusher configuration. Open-source assessments disagree on whether the system is indigenous or Iranian-linked, but the variant is consistently tied to Houthi long-range drone operations against coalition targets.
- Conflict side
- Houthi-aligned forces
- Built by
- Houthi movement
- Built in
- Yemen
Service History
- In service
- In Houthi service during the Yemen Civil War; open-source reporting treats the Samad-2 as a long-range attack and reconnaissance UAV.
- Used by
- Houthi movement
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- Houthi military-industrial network
- Designed
- 2019
- Built by
- Houthi movement
- Built in
- Yemen
- Unit cost
- Unknown
- Produced
- Late 2010s-present
- Number built
- Unknown
- Variants
- UAV-X, Samad-3
Specifications
- Length
- About 2.8 m
- Wingspan
- About 4.5 m
- Payload
- Reconnaissance camera or about 18 kg explosive warhead
- Propulsion
- Rear-mounted 3W110i B2 or DLE 170 pusher engine
- Configuration
- Fixed-wing UAV with V-tail and wing skids
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Long-range reconnaissance and strike UAV
Used by Houthi-aligned forces in the Yemen Civil War as a long-range reconnaissance and strike UAV; UN reporting identifies the weapon as UAV-X/Samad-2, and technical analysis links the variant to Houthi attacks launched from Yemen.
Samad-2 UAV Images
Related Weapon Systems
Hudhud-1 UAVReconnaissance UAVThe Hudhud-1 UAV is a Yemeni-made short-range reconnaissance drone that emerged during the Yemen Civil War and was documented in Houthi service as a compact battlefield surveillance platform.
MQ-9 ReaperMedium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicleThe MQ-9 Reaper is a General Atomics medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft built for persistent intelligence collection and precision strike. Larger and more powerful than the MQ-1 Predator, it combines satellite control, electro-optical and infrared sensors, laser designation, and weapons such as Hellfire missiles and guided bombs, making it a recurring U.S. and coalition platform in counterterrorism, maritime-security, and regional-strike operations.
Rased UAVFixed-wing reconnaissance UAVRased UAV is the Houthi designation for a Skywalker X-8 commercial fixed-wing drone adapted for short-range reconnaissance in the Yemen Civil War. Open-source reporting describes it as a low-cost, commercially available airframe used by Houthi fighters for battlefield surveillance rather than a purpose-built military UAV.
RQ-11 Raven UAVSmall unmanned aircraft systemThe RQ-11 Raven is a hand-launched small unmanned aircraft system built by AeroVironment for short-range ISR. In the Yemen Civil War, Oryx lists it in Houthi-aligned inventory as 'Raqeep' inherited from pre-war Yemeni Army stocks.
Samad-1 UAVReconnaissance UAVThe Samad-1 is the reconnaissance variant of the Houthi Samad UAV family, documented in UN and technical reporting during the Yemen Civil War..jpg?width=480)
Samad-3 UAVLong-range unmanned aerial vehicleThe Samad-3 is a Houthi long-range UAV from Yemen's Samad family, unveiled in Sana'a in 2019 as an extended-range model and used in the Yemen Civil War for deep-strike attacks.Sources
Flight Performance Analysis of the Samad Attack Drones Operated by Houthi Armed ForcesPublisher: Science & Global Security | Note: Supports the Samad-2's dimensions, payload, pusher-engine layout, and the Houthi statement that the Samad family is built in Yemen; also summarizes the Samad family background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20UN Security Council Panel of Experts on Yemen, S/2019/83Publisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War conflict-use: used by Houthi-aligned forces; the UN panel identifies UAV-X/Samad-2 in Houthi service and describes an attack aircraft that crashed near Riyadh after running out of fuel. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Houthi Rebels Unveil Host of Weaponry, Compounding Drone and Missile ThreatPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War conflict-use: used by Houthi-aligned forces; the article identifies the Samad-2 loitering munition as first publicly unveiled in 2019 and says it has been used in many attacks since. It also supports the image provenance for the Samad-2 and related Samad-family images. | Accessed: 2026-06-20