By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
The US Navy’s USS Carney destroyer “shot-down” an Iranian-made KAS-04 drone in the Red Sea launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, a move which raises the question of when, how or if the Pentagon might respond with force.
Many details of the incident were not available, and US Central Command says the exact intent of the drone may not be known, but it was heading straight toward the US Navy ship. Therefore, for security and defensive reasons, the USS Carney used its sensors and weapons to track and destroy the drone.
“At the time of the shoot down, the USS Carney was escorting the USNS SUPPLY (Oiler) and another U.S. flagged and crewed ship carrying military equipment to the region. There were no injuries to U.S. personnel and no damage to U.S. vessels,” a statement from US Central Command said.
This is just the latest in what has been a series of missile launches and weapons attacks ostensibly directed at Israel from areas under control by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
The operative question on the minds of many at the moment is … how will the US respond? Senior Pentagon officials have not as of yet conducted a precision strike on any Houthi-specific areas in Yemen, yet it has by no means been ruled out.
“We’ve been very clear that we’re going to protect our forces, and if those forces are threatened, we’ll take appropriate action to respond. But in terms of telegraphing any potential future strikes, I’m just not going to do that,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters recently in response to a question about a possible US response.
Iranian-made KAS-04 surveillance drones have a history of being involved in provocations, such as an intrusion into Israeli airspace on May 18th, 2021. The incident in 2021, as discussed in an essay in Jane’s Defence, resulted in the KAS-04 being shot down in Northern Israel
The Jane’s essay say the KAS-04 model has a range of 1,700 km, meaning it could reach Israel from launch locations deep inside Iran. He also noted that its
The report also makes clear that the KAS-04 manufacturer KIPAS has been sanctioned by the United States due to its links with the Qods Force, the external operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
The US Navy weapon used to destroy the KAS-04 drone was not cited in the US CentCom report, however Iranian-backed proxy-group attacks and provocations are understood to be a common occurrence. This is particularly true in light of the recent Hamas-IDF war, a circumstance raising questions as to whether or if the Pentagon might respond with an attack on Houthi targets in Yemen.
Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
