Naval Systems

Waterborne improvised explosive device

Also known as
  • drone boat
  • WBIED
  • water-borne improvised explosive device
  • water-borne IED
  • remote-controlled explosive boat
  • explosive unmanned surface vessel

The waterborne improvised explosive device is a Houthi-modified explosive boat pattern documented in Yemen's Red Sea theater. Conflict Armament Research examined a 10-meter patrol boat converted for remote command with video, GPS, autopilot, and throttle connections, twin Yamaha outboards, and an explosive train built around an RDX charge and a repurposed P-15 Termit warhead.

Waterborne improvised explosive device, Remote-controlled explosive boat, Naval Systems
Image source: Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat'

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Yemen
Type
Remote-controlled explosive boat
Service note
2014 Yemen Civil War

Specifications

Platform
10-meter Al Fattan patrol boat conversion originally supplied to Yemeni naval forces
Control
Purpose-built radio-control unit connected to video, GPS, compass, and throttle systems
Payload
RDX-filled first main charge initiating a P-15 Termit warhead as the second main charge
Propulsion
Twin Yamaha L200A 200 hp outboard engines
Guidance aids
Remotely operated video camera, Garmin GPS antenna, and Nexus autopilot compass documented by CAR
Recovered Configuration

CAR's 2017 field examination makes this record unusually concrete for an improvised naval weapon. The recovered craft was a 10-meter patrol boat whose original hull and engines were retained while external systems were added for remote command, guidance, and impact-initiated detonation.

Hull

The base craft was an Al Fattan 10-meter patrol boat, a type CAR says the UAE had donated to the Yemeni Navy before the war.

Source: Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat' PDF.

Remote command

An improvised computerized control unit connected to a camera, GPS antenna, autopilot compass, power supply, and throttle output.

CAR did not directly document the added steering actuator, but inferred remote steering from the autopilot hardware.

Propulsion

The recovered boat retained twin Yamaha L200A 200 hp outboard engines traced to a 2013 supply chain for the original patrol craft.

Source: Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat' PDF.

Explosive train

Four pressure switches, an arming switch, an improvised detonator, an RDX-filled manifold, and a P-15 Termit warhead formed the detonation chain.

The P-15 component was a warhead repurposed as a charge, not a fired anti-ship missile.

Repurposed Payload Component

CAR documented the recovered WBIED as carrying a repurposed anti-ship missile warhead, not a complete missile launch installation.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
P-15 Termit, Soviet anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsP-15 TermitRepurposed anti-ship missile warhead

CAR identified the WBIED's second main charge as the warhead section of a Soviet-manufactured P-15 Termit / Styx anti-ship missile dated 1988.

Sources: Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat' PDF

Timeline

Waterborne improvised explosive device Key Events

  1. Al Madinah is struck off Hudaydah

    A small explosive craft struck the Royal Saudi Naval Forces frigate Al Madinah near Hudaydah; MARAD listed the threat type as a waterborne improvised explosive device, and USNI later reported the U.S. Navy assessment that the boat was unmanned and remotely guided.

    Sources: MARAD Southern Red Sea WBIED alert, Navy: Saudi Frigate Attacked by Unmanned Bomb Boat, Video Shows Houthi Boat Attack on Saudi Frigate

  2. CAR documents a recovered WBIED

    Conflict Armament Research documented a recovered 10-meter patrol boat converted into a remote-controlled explosive craft with camera, GPS, autopilot, and throttle connections and a P-15 Termit warhead payload.

    Sources: Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat' PDF, Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat'

  3. Two remote-controlled boats target Jizan Port

    ONI reported that Houthi forces deployed two explosives-laden remote-controlled boats against Saudi Arabia's Jizan Port; Maritime Executive reporting said Saudi forces intercepted and destroyed both craft.

    Sources: Worldwide Threat to Shipping report excerpt, Saudi Navy Intercepts Two Explosives-Filled Drone Boats

Media

Waterborne improvised explosive device Videos

Related Weapon Systems
Mobile coastal launcher, Truck-mounted mobile coastal launcher for anti-ship cruise missiles, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsMobile coastal launcherTruck-mounted mobile coastal launcher for anti-ship cruise missilesThe Houthi mobile coastal launcher is a road-mobile shore-launch arrangement for anti-ship cruise missiles, built around recovered Yemeni C.801 launch equipment, trucks, and surface-search radars. It links the Al-Mandab-1/C-801 family to 2014 Yemen Civil War coastal defense and later appears in 2023 Red Sea Crisis reporting as Houthi truck-mounted anti-ship missiles and launchers threatened shipping from Houthi-controlled Yemen.
Paveway IV guided bomb, Dual-mode precision-guided bomb, MunitionsMunitionsPaveway IV guided bombDual-mode precision-guided bombPaveway IV is a Raytheon UK 500-pound-class precision-guided bomb built around GPS-aided inertial navigation, laser guidance, and an electronic fuze. It became a core RAF air-to-ground weapon after entering UK service in 2008, moved from Harrier and Tornado carriage to Typhoon and F-35B integration, and is documented in RAF counter-ISIS strikes, UK-led Red Sea Crisis strikes on Houthi military sites, and Saudi-led coalition air operations in Yemen.

Sources

Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat' PDFPublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: CAR report on a water-borne improvised explosive device deployed by Houthi forces in the 2014 Yemen Civil War; documents the recovered 10-meter patrol boat conversion, remote-control electronics, Yamaha outboards, explosive train, RDX charge, and P-15 Termit warhead. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Anatomy of a 'Drone Boat'Publisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: CAR analysis landing page for a water-borne improvised explosive device deployed by Houthi forces in Yemen; used for image provenance and background context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03MARAD Southern Red Sea WBIED alertPublisher: U.S. Maritime Administration | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context: MARAD reported a January 30, 2017 maritime attack against a Saudi frigate near Hudaydah, Yemen, and identified the threat type as a waterborne improvised explosive device. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Navy: Saudi Frigate Attacked by Unmanned Bomb BoatPublisher: USNI News | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context: USNI reported the U.S. Navy assessment that the Al Madinah craft was unmanned, remotely guided, and linked to Houthi rebels. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Video Shows Houthi Boat Attack on Saudi FrigatePublisher: USNI News | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use and video-selection context: USNI identified footage of a Houthi explosive boat striking the Royal Saudi frigate Al Madinah on January 30, 2017. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Worldwide Threat to Shipping report excerptPublisher: Office of Naval Intelligence | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context: ONI reported that the Houthis deployed two explosives-laden remote-controlled boats against Saudi Arabia's Jizan Port on September 30, 2018. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Saudi Navy Intercepts Two Explosives-Filled Drone BoatsPublisher: The Maritime Executive | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct-use context: reporting on Saudi coalition statements that two remote-controlled explosive boats targeting Jizan Port were intercepted and destroyed. | Accessed: 2026-07-03