America is shooting down a drone worth 2000 dollars with a missile worth 2 million dollars, Iran made a wonderful trap
US warships are shooting down drones and missiles of Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. But, America is very troubled by this. America wants to get out of the maze of the Red Sea at any cost, but it cannot see a way. The Pentagon is concerned about the threat posed to US naval forces and international shipping lanes in the Red Sea area. He is also worried because a huge amount of money has to be spent on this work. US Navy destroyers have shot down 38 drones and several missiles in the Red Sea over the past two months, according to a US Defense Department official. On Saturday alone, the US destroyer USS Carney shot down 13 attack drones.
Pentagon troubled by the price of American missiles
According to Defense Department officials, American warships have to use expensive missiles to shoot down these cheap drones of Houthi rebels. The cost of one shot is reaching Rs 21,00,000, whereas the price of these Houthi drones is less than 2000 dollars. “The cost recovery is not in our favor,” a defense ministry official told POLITICO on condition of anonymity. Experts say this is an issue that needs attention and have urged the Defense Department to start considering lower-cost options for air defense.
America will have to find a cheaper option soon
Mick Mulroy, a former US Defense Department official who worked at the CIA, said, “This will quickly become a problem, because the biggest advantage is on their side, even though we are managing to shoot down their missiles and drones.” .The US needs to look at systems that can take them down and at a cost commensurate with what they are spending to attack us.” The Defense Department official, citing classified information, did not provide details on what type of weapons were being used against the Houthi attacks or at what border the drones were being stopped.
With which missile is America shooting down Houthi drones?
At the same time, former Defense Department officials and experts have said that only one weapon would be suitable for that task, and that is Standard Missile-2. It is a medium-range air defense weapon, which can reach 92 or 130 nautical miles. Its new variant Block IV is priced at $ 2.1 million per shot. A destroyer could also use the ship’s 5-inch gun with air burst rounds, which have already been tested against drone attacks, according to a former Navy officer specializing in US Navy ships deployed in the Red Sea . This is a low-cost option, but can only reach targets less than 10 nautical miles away – which is also very dangerous.
Cheap weapons threaten American warships
The former US Navy officer said that the Sea Sparrow missile has been developed for the shortest range threat, which can hit targets less than 5 nautical miles away. Its cost per shot is 18 lakh dollars. But, still, the closer the drones of Houthi rebels get, the greater the risk of their collision. The former officer said, my guess is that American destroyers are probably using Standard Missile-2 because they are not willing to take the risk of enemy attacks.
