2014 Yemen Civil War

Su-24 in the 2014 Yemen Civil War

Sudanese Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft were deployed to Saudi Arabia for the Saudi-led coalition campaign in Yemen in 2015, with Sudanese and defense reporting describing air operations against Houthi targets.

Weapon profileSu-24
SideYemeni government and Saudi-led coalition forcesRoleLong-Range Strike
Su-24, Variable-geometry tactical bomber and strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - 2014 Yemen Civil War
Image source: File:Su-24M Storm Shadow.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Sudanese Su-24 Fencers were deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen.

Sources: President: Sudan Launches Strikes in Yemen, Operation Decisive Storm -- Air Power Over Yemen, Sudanese Planes Pound Houthi Targets in Yemen

Sudanese air crews were described as bombing Houthi targets and patrolling Yemeni skies.

Sources: President: Sudan Launches Strikes in Yemen, Sudanese Planes Pound Houthi Targets in Yemen

Open sources do not identify a named Yemen strike site that can be assigned to a specific Su-24 airframe.

Sources: President: Sudan Launches Strikes in Yemen

Timeline

Su-24 In 2014 Yemen Civil War

  1. Sudan describes Su-24 contribution

    Sudan Tribune reported that Bashir had described Sudan's Operation Decisive Storm participation as three Russian Sukhoi-24 fighters and transport aircraft.

    Sources: Sudan Says Role in Yemen Campaign Aimed at Defending the Two Holy Mosques

  2. Sudanese Su-24s tied to coalition air operations

    Defense News reported Sudanese Air Force participation in coalition operations in Yemen and identified four Su-24 Fencers at King Khalid Air Base in coalition-command video.

    Sources: President: Sudan Launches Strikes in Yemen

  3. Su-24s still visible at King Khalid Air Base

    Bellingcat reviewed DigitalGlobe imagery showing two Su-24 Fencers parked at King Khalid Air Base in Saudi Arabia in December 2015.

    Sources: Has Sudan Received More Su-24 Fencers?

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Sudan's Su-24 Fencer aircraft entered the Yemen war through the Saudi-led coalition campaign that began in March 2015. Defense News reported on April 1, 2015 that Sudanese Air Force bombers had participated in coalition operations in Yemen, citing Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and a Sudanese Armed Forces statement that described Sudanese air crews bombing Houthi targets and patrolling Yemeni skies.

The same Defense News report identified four Sudanese Su-24 Fencers at King Khalid Air Base in coalition-command video. Sudan Tribune separately reported Bashir's statement, described Sudan's contribution as three Russian Sukhoi-24 fighters and transport aircraft, and noted Al Arabiya footage of Sudanese Su-24s at King Khalid Air Force Base.

Sources: President: Sudan Launches Strikes in Yemen, Sudanese Planes Pound Houthi Targets in Yemen

Timeline

On March 31, 2015, Sudan Tribune reported that Bashir had described Sudan's Yemen role as a symbolic contribution of Su-24 fighters and transport aircraft. On April 1, Defense News reported Sudanese aircraft participating in coalition operations, with four Su-24s confirmed in coalition-command video at King Khalid Air Base.

Aviation Week's March 31 order-of-battle account placed Sudan among the air arms supporting Operation Decisive Storm and described a trio of Su-24 Fencers forward-based for the campaign. Bellingcat later reviewed satellite imagery from December 2015 showing two Su-24 Fencers at King Khalid Air Base, indicating that Sudanese Fencers remained associated with the Saudi-based Yemen deployment months after the initial intervention.

Sources: Sudan Says Role in Yemen Campaign Aimed at Defending the Two Holy Mosques, President: Sudan Launches Strikes in Yemen, Operation Decisive Storm -- Air Power Over Yemen, Has Sudan Received More Su-24 Fencers?

Narrative

The Su-24's documented Yemen role was as a Sudanese strike aircraft attached to the Saudi-led coalition rather than as a Yemeni government aircraft. The coalition intervened to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government after Houthi-aligned forces expanded from Sanaa toward Aden, and the Yemen Data Project records the 2015-2022 coalition air war as a Saudi- and UAE-led bombardment campaign that included Sudan among participating coalition states.

Open reporting supports deployment, basing, and air-operation claims more clearly than it supports attribution of individual strike sites to specific Su-24 airframes. Defense News says the Sudanese Armed Forces statement did not specify the exact mission type conducted by the Fencers, while still reporting Sudanese air operations and confirming Su-24 aircraft at the Saudi base used for the campaign.

Sources: Yemen Data Project Saudi Air War, President: Sudan Launches Strikes in Yemen

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Sources