US-Led Red Sea Task Force vs. Iranian & Houthi Drones & Cruise Missiles

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

As the Pentagon-led, 10-nation Red Sea Task Force intended to protect commercial and military vessels in international waterways comes more fully to fruition, and the Houthi attacks show little sign of ending, many are likely to wonder about the extent to which a coalition of warships can continue to defend against Iranian-made, drones and cruise missiles.

“It’s very important to understand that the Houthis aren’t attacking just one country, they’re really attacking the international community,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen Pat Ryder said, according to a Pentagon essay “They are attacking the economic well-being and prosperity of nations around the world. So in effect, they really become bandits along the international highway that is the Red Sea.”

Ryder referred to Operation Prosperity Guardian as a “defensive coalition” designed to protect global shipping and international mariners, yet the presence of warships and the continued hostility of Houthi-attacks raises the question of the extent to which US Navy and allied warships can continue to stop missile and drone attacks.

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The record has been quite clear thus far, as the USS Carney, USS Laboon and carrier-launched F/A-18 Super Hornets have been able to destroy Houthi-fired drones and cruise missiles. It is not clear which kinds of cruise missiles the Houthis may be firing, yet as an Iran based proxy it is entirely realistic to consider that the Houthis operate Iranian cruise missiles, some of which can travel as far as 700 miles. Iran Watch, for example, published an essay explaining that Iran’s Soumar Land Attack Cruise Missile is a ground-launched missile with a maximum range of 700km. In February of 2019, Iran introduced a new variant of the Soumar called the Hoveizeh reportedly capable of traveling 1,350km.

Iran’s ballistic missiles are also quite concerning, however they are less likely to operate with an ability to track and hit moving ships at sea. Nonetheless, Iran’s Shahab-3 can reportedly travel at least 1,300km with a 1,000kg warhead and the more threatening Khorramshahr is described by Iran watch as a “liquid fueled missile” with 1,800kg of explosives and a range of 2,000 to 3,000km. These missiles are capable of attacking Israel from multiple points within Iran and could potentially be fired by Houthis as well. Other Iranian Medium Range Ballistic Missiles capable of traveling 1,600km or more are the now-deployed Ghadr, Emad and Paveh missiles, according to Iran Watch. The Iranian Sejjil MRBM can travel 2,000km as well.