Sixth MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down by Houthis since March 3rd; each drone costs about $30 million reports
@Liz_Friden
The U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down by the Houthis in Yemen earlier today, sources tell Fox News. This is the sixth MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down by the Houthis since March 3rd and during the Trump administration. It is the fifth U.S. MQ-9 drone shot down over Yemen since U.S. Central Command began daily airstrikes on the Houthis on March 15th. The U.S. military has carried out 35 straight days of bombing, and yet the Houthis continue to fire missiles to shoot these expensive U.S. assets down and continue to fire ballistic missiles at Israel. Most international shipping has not resumed in the Red Sea.
Each MQ-9 drone costs about $30 million dollars a piece, according to the Congressional Research Service. The Houthis have shot down at least 16 American drones since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023. A source familiar said it could be as many as 20 Reapers that have been shot down since October 2023. Demand for the Reaper drones is at an all-time high with various U.S. military commanders often told there are not enough for their combatant commands. The loss of 16 MQ-9 Reapers totals more than $500 million dollars. As of December 2024, the U.S. had 230 MQ-9's in its arsenal, a U.S. defense official tells Fox News.