ZPU-1 anti-aircraft gun

Conflict Usage

Yemen Civil War

Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Truck-mounted light air defense and ground fire supportair defense

Documented among Yemeni Army 14.5 mm ZPU-1 stocks and technical-mounted configurations available on Yemen Civil War battlefields after the Houthi takeover; broader reporting notes Houthi-aligned forces absorbed Yemeni anti-aircraft weapons, so the entry treats the side assignment conservatively.

ZPU-1 anti-aircraft gun Images

Related Weapon Systems

Air DefenseZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun14.5 mm quadruple towed anti-aircraft gunThe ZPU-4 is a Soviet quadruple 14.5 mm anti-aircraft gun built around four KPV/KPVT heavy machine guns on a four-wheel carriage. In Yemen, open-source reporting connects ZPU-4-armed technicals to anti-Houthi Giants Brigades forces, giving the Cold War gun a continued role as mobile low-altitude air defense and direct-fire support.

Air DefenseM167 VulcanTowed 20 mm short-range anti-aircraft gunThe M167 Vulcan is a U.S.-origin towed short-range air-defense gun built around the 20 mm M168 six-barrel rotary cannon. In Yemen, Houthi forces have been documented using captured Vulcan guns on improvised vehicle mounts, giving the system a mobile direct-fire role alongside its original close-in air-defense function.

Infantry WeaponsDShK12.7 mm heavy machine gunThe DShK is a Soviet 12.7 mm heavy machine gun designed by Vasily Degtyaryov and refined with Georgy Shpagin's belt-feed system. Built for anti-aircraft, anti-vehicle, and infantry support roles, the weapon remains relevant in Ukraine because inherited DShK and DShKM guns can be adapted for trench support or mounted in mobile air-defense teams against slow Russian drones, and Hamas imagery from the Israel-Hamas War shows a pickup-mounted DShK during the October 7 attack on Israel.

Infantry WeaponsZastava M02 Coyote12.7 mm heavy machine gunThe Zastava M02 Coyote is a Serbian 12.7 mm heavy machine gun derived from Zastava's M87/NSV-pattern weapon and mounted on a tripod for crew-served long-range fire. In the Yemen Civil War, Amnesty International documented Serbian-made M02 Coyote guns among weapons used by UAE-allied militias in Hodeidah, linking the system to coalition-aligned ground forces rather than regular Serbian service.

Air Defense100 mm KS-19 anti-aircraft gunTowed 100 mm anti-aircraft gunThe KS-19 is a Soviet 100 mm towed anti-aircraft gun designed for high-altitude air defense with radar-directed fire-control support, but its range and fixed ammunition also made it usable as a ground-fire artillery piece. In the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, open-source loss documentation identified Armenian/Artsakh KS-19 guns used as howitzers during the 2020 war.

Air Defense2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 GainfulTracked medium-range surface-to-air missile systemThe 2K12 Kub, exported as Kvadrat and known to NATO as SA-6 Gainful, is a Soviet tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system built around 3M9 missiles, 2P25 launch vehicles, and the 1S91 Straight Flush radar. In recent conflict archives it appears as a legacy medium-range air-defense system, including Syrian use during the 2018 missile strikes, Armenian use in Nagorno-Karabakh, and a Houthi SA-6/Kub-family engagement that downed a U.S. MQ-9 over Yemen in 2019.

Sources