Houthis show off an American anti-ship missile.. How did they get it?

An American newspaper reported that the Houthis showed a familiar-looking anti-ship missile (torpedo) that may be part of captured American technology. It discussed with analysts how the Houthis obtained this weapon.

Business Insider confirmed - in a report translated by Yemen Youth Net - that "the Houthi rebels in Yemen have a new torpedo (anti-ship missile) to show off - and it looks familiar." On Sunday and Monday, the Houthis released videos promoting their new weapon, which they call "Al-Qari'a."

The Houthis are not known for their technical prowess, and experts who evaluated the video saw echoes of captured American weapons and a Navy drone captured in its entirety in 2018, the newspaper reported.

It is impossible to say how the disaster happened without assessing it in detail, the newspaper said. But it would be consistent with other examples of American equipment being injected into the arsenals of its enemies in a counterproductive manner, especially those linked to Iran.

Martin Kelly of British consultancy EOS Risk Group said the torpedo could be a derivative of a US REMUS 600 naval drone that went missing in 2018.

Developed by Iran

Footage released by the group at the time the drone was lost appears to show it being captured, with the names of Western defense companies still visible on its fuselage, the newspaper reported.

An undated video released by Houthi forces in 2018 showed what appeared to be a US Remus 600 drone.

According to Kelly, Iranian scientists could have turned a captured sample into a “blueprint” for the indigenous weapon seen this week.

“It is likely that Iran reverse-engineered the Remus 600 and sent the parts to the Houthis for manufacturing,” Kelly told Business Insider.

According to the newspaper, Iran provides significant security support to the Houthis, such as weapons, training and intelligence support, and is even their main supplier, allowing them to strike land and sea targets.

Mohammed Albasha, a US-based security analyst specializing in Middle East affairs, reached a similar conclusion. “Iran has a history of reverse engineering captured US technology,” he said, citing the Toophan missile, derived from the US BGM-71 TOW system, and the Mersad air defense system, derived from the US MIM-23 Hawk.

Another important example is the Shahed drone, a derivative of the American RQ-170 Sentinel. Russia has used Shahed drones extensively in its invasion of Ukraine, a product of its alliance with Tehran.

Iranian-supplied weapons have played a major role in recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. In July, the US Defense Intelligence Agency estimated that the Houthis had used Iranian-supplied weapons in more than 100 attacks.

She said the United States and its allies intercepted at least 20 Iranian ships between 2015 and 2024 carrying illicit technology such as missile components, drones and other weapons bound for the Houthis.

Experts have not agreed on a unified assessment of drones. Farzan Thabet, a senior research associate at the Geneva Graduate Institute, believes there are different possibilities for the origin of the phenomenon.

He told Business Insider that the torpedo resembled models that were displayed at an Iranian naval exhibition in Tehran in December 2023. He added that the rest of the torpedo's features did not match the Remus 600.

He also said it was possible that the Houthi torpedo makers took some cues from naval drones without completely redesigning its functionality. He added that the torpedo fired was likely “much simpler” than any American torpedo of its kind.

Exploiting security vulnerabilities

It is not yet clear what difference a new torpedo could make for the Houthis.

The group already uses a variety of one-way attack drones, naval drones, and anti-ship missiles to target commercial ships and U.S. warships in the Red Sea.

The strikes are part of a campaign to pressure Israel and the West since the start of the war in Gaza. Between November and June, the Houthis attacked or threatened the US Navy and other ships more than 190 times, according to the Pentagon.

The attacks have disrupted global shipping, adding risks to a pivotal route. Freight rates doubled to nearly $4,000 per container in January and then jumped to more than $5,900 in July, according to maritime research consultancy Drewry.

Prices at the time of writing were about $3,095, compared to an average of $1,300 per flight in October of last year, according to the Drewry Index.

The U.S. Navy and allied naval forces have diverted significant resources to counter the Houthis and build confidence along the way.

The torpedo appears too small to pose much of a problem to a heavily armored American warship, said analyst Basha. However, even a small torpedo can cause damage if hit in the right direction.

“A well-aimed strike could cause critical leaks, disable critical systems, or impair a ship’s maneuverability, forcing it out of action,” he said.

"Although such attacks are unlikely to sink a warship, they could put it out of action temporarily, affecting fleet operations and morale as well," he continued.