We now know more about how the Houthis and their Iranian partners use radar and satellite communications to target commercial vessels and US and UK warships. The US should thus be thinking about jamming Iranian radars that are being used to help the Houthis.
The US also needs to work with commercial satellite operators to shut down access to communications that guide Houthi missiles and drones. And the way the automatic identification system (AIS) is operated needs changed to confuse the Houthis and Iranians.
It is important to understand how the Houthis are going after merchant vessels and US and UK warships. To hit a ship with a drone or cruise missile, you need to know where the ship is at the time it is actually engaged.
The Houthis have a large arsenal of drones, cruise missiles and some ballistic missiles. Against moving targets, drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have a high potential for accuracy.
There are nine types of Houthi drones: Hudhud-1, Raqib, Rased and Sammad-1 (reconnaissance UAVs – although the Sammad-1 can be weaponized), and Qasef-1, Qasef-2K, Sammad-2 and Sammad-3 (combat UAVs) and Wa-eed-2.
It appears that the drones being fired at commercial ships and US warships are either Qasef-1 or Qasef-2 or the Shahed-136, known as Wa-eed-2 by the Houthis. The Houthis may also have used their longer-range drones but these have been aimed at Israel, particularly the port city of Eilat.
The Shahed drone is the same kamikaze weapon Iran has supplied to Russia. Neither the Qasefs nor Shaheeds are first-person view (FPV), drones that send back live video to an operator or pilot who can then direct the drone to the moving target. FPV drones are being used heavily in Ukraine, even though they are subject to jamming.
As I reported in December, it is almost certain that the Houthis and Iranians are using the global AIS to track ships in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, and more recently in the Indian Ocean. Virtually every commercial vessel over 300 tons operates an AIS transponder.
When ships are on the move, AIS broadcasts their location and speed as well as the name of the vessel every two to 10 seconds. Yet, while it can transmit information while on the move, AIS is not as accurate as radar.
According to a recent study, compared to radar the AIS transponder information was off by 97.72 meters (or around 320 feet). What this means is that using AIS to track ships may not ensure that a UAV or cruise missile hits its target.
USS Carney (DDG 64) is underway alongside the Romanian navy corvette ROS Admiral Horia Marcellariu (F 265) in the Black Sea by Official U.S. Navy Page is licensed under CC BY 2.0 DEED
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