US carrier strike group fighting Houthis fires more than 500 rounds

In their attacks, the rebels, backed by Iran, used a dangerous mix of anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, one-way attack drones and unmanned surface ships.

As part of As part of ongoing efforts to counter these attacks, the US strike group has so far engaged nearly 430 dynamic and planned Houthi targets in dozens of self-defense actions, according to new intelligence information. Navy officials to Business Insider.

These targets include Houthi installations and static sites across Yemen, missiles and drones that the rebels were preparing to launch at ships at sea, and weapons that they have already fired into the sea routes. navigation. The strike group relied on its aircraft and warships to engage targets and defend against various threats.

Eisenhower’s air wing, which includes aircraft like the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters and EA-18 Growler jets, was involved in the dropping of more than 350 air-to-ground weapons and more than 50 air-to-air missiles. according to officials. The strike group’s aircraft have flown more than 27,200 hours and conducted more than 12,100 sorties.

The Navy’s guided-missile cruisers and destroyers, meanwhile, launched more than 100 Standard and Tomahawk missiles (surface-to-air and land-attack missiles, respectively), the officials said.

But this ammunition is not cheap; a single Standard Missile-2 interceptor, for example, is estimated cost approximately $2 million. With constant commitments since the fall, the expense of so many missiles has added up over time.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro revealed in April that the Navy had already fired nearly $1 billion worth of missiles to counter the Houthis over the previous six months, highlighting the scale and growing financial cost of American naval activity in the region.

Navy operations in the Red Sea have often raised questions about the financial viability and replenishment of all spent munitions, especially as the Houthis’ malign activities show no signs of slowing down anytime soon, the Navy’s director said. national intelligence chief Avril Haines told US lawmakers earlier this month.

On Wednesday, US forces destroyed four Houthi drones in Yemen that the military said posed an “imminent threat” to US and coalition forces, as well as merchant ships, in the region.

American forces are not alone in these turbulent Middle East waters. Several other countries have deployed warships to the region as part of the European Union’s Operation Aspides security mission, which began in February.

During the first three months of the operation, European forces destroyed at least four Houthi ballistic missiles and 13 drones, the security mission announced on Sunday. It is unclear how much ammunition the participating warships and the aircraft supporting them fired.

The large Western naval presence has successfully defended shipping against the majority of the Houthis’ numerous attacks, but the Pentagon and its allies continue to come under pressure as the rebels retain the ability to strike merchant ships, as they have made last weekend.

“It is true that (Houthi attacks) continue,” a senior U.S. defense official told reporters earlier this week. “It is also true that we believe that through coalition strikes we have degraded their capabilities. We have also interdicted weapons that were shipped to them for resupply.”

“But it is not yet a resolved problem,” admitted the official. “It’s also an issue that is truly a global concern.”