Samad-3 UAV

Conflict Usage

Yemen Civil War

Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Long-range strike UAVstrikeUAVdeep strike

Used by Houthi forces in the Yemen Civil War for long-range attacks; CSIS reports Samad-3 was purportedly used in the July 2018 Abu Dhabi International Airport attack and in attempts to target Riyadh.

Samad-3 UAV Images

Related Weapon Systems

Aircraft & UAVsMQ-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.

Aircraft & UAVsQasef-1 loitering munition / UAVLoitering munition / UAVThe Qasef-1 is an Iranian-made, Houthi-operated loitering munition/UAV derived from the Ababil family and used in the Yemen Civil War for one-way attacks on coalition targets.

Aircraft & UAVsQasef-2K loitering munition / UAVLoitering munition / UAVThe 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.

Aircraft & UAVsSamad-2 UAVReconnaissance and loitering munition UAVThe 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.

Aircraft & UAVsAeronautics Orbiter 1KClass 1 loitering munition UASThe Aeronautics Orbiter 1K is an Israeli electric loitering munition derived from the Orbiter mini-UAS family, combining EO/IR surveillance with a fragmentation warhead for attacks on soft targets. Azerbaijan fielded Orbiter 1K systems alongside other Israeli and Turkish unmanned weapons during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

MunitionsAGM-154 JSOWAir-launched guided glide bombThe AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon is a U.S.-built, 1,000-pound-class air-launched guided glide bomb that gives carrier and tactical aircraft a GPS/INS-guided standoff option against fixed land targets. In the Yemen Civil War archive it is represented through documented U.S. Navy F/A-18 loadouts for strikes against Houthi forces during the 2025 Red Sea escalation.

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