US Navy Destroyer Shoots Down Iranian-Produced Drone in Red Sea

The Arleigh-Burke guided missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) successfully intercepted and shot down an Iranian-produced KAS-04 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the U.S. Central Command has confirmed.

The incident occurred at approximately 1100 local time Wednesday while the USS Carney was in the South Red Sea. Notably, the destroyer was escorting the Military Sealift Command’s USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) and another U.S. flagged and crewed ship carrying military equipment to the region when the incident took place. CENTCOM said that while the intention of the UAV is unknown, it was heading towards the convoy.

Fortunately, there were no injuries to U.S. personnel, and no damage was sustained by U.S. vessels.

The USNS Supply is fast combat support ship (AOE), the largest class of combat logistics ship in the U.S. Navy.

The incident is the latest in a series of threats faced by U.S. Navy and Israeli-linked ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait region, including the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, seemingly in response Israel’s war against Hamas.

The Houthi rebels are holding the Galaxy Leader car carrier which was hijacked in the Red Sea on November 19, with all 25 crew members on board. Another incident taking place November 24 involved an attack on the M/V CMA CGM SYMI containership by a UAV in the Indian Ocean, causing no significant damage.

In a separate incident on November 26, a multinational force led by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) responded to reports of a seizure of the Liberian-flagged tanker Central Park in the Gulf of Aden.

After failing to gain control of the ship, the perpetrators abandoned the tanker and attempted to escape on a skiff. However, the USS Mason eventually caught up to them and took the five people on board into custody. The perpetrators were later identified as Somali pirates. Following the incident, two ballistic missiles were launched from Yemen towards the ships, but they landed in the water about ten miles from vessels.

These incidents highlight the ongoing challenges faced by naval forces operating in the region, particularly in the face of threats from unmanned aerial vehicles and other hostile activities.

Since Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack on Israel, U.S. Navy destroyers have shot down missiles and drones launched from Yemen on at least two other occasions.

Earlier this week, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy forces published footage allegedly taken by Iranian drones of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group in the Persian Gulf.

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