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Yemen's Houthis display new 'submarine weapon': Is it just a recycled US naval drone?

 
 New recruits loyal to Yemen's Houthis march in a military parade marking the anniversary of the Houthis' 2014 takeover of the capital Sanaa, in Sanaa on September 21, 2024.  (photo credit: OSAMA ABDULRAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
New recruits loyal to Yemen's Houthis march in a military parade marking the anniversary of the Houthis' 2014 takeover of the capital Sanaa, in Sanaa on September 21, 2024.
(photo credit: OSAMA ABDULRAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The Iran-aligned group claimed to develop the weapon themselves. However, Arab media later reported it to be an American unmanned naval vehicle captured by the Houthis.

Yemen's Houthis claimed to have developed a new naval weapon in the form of an advanced submarine called "Al Qari'a," various Arab news outlets reported on Sunday. 

The Iran-aligned group claimed to develop and create the weapon themselves. However, Arab media outlets later reported it to be an American unmanned naval vehicle that was re-tooled by the Houthis.

The alleged "submarine weapon" was revealed during a Houthi military exercise on Sunday, Qatari state-funded news site Middle East Monitor reported. 

Al Mashad Media, a Lebanese network based in the UAE, reported that the submarine was an American model REMUS 600 (Remote Environmental Monitoring Unit), which is designed to carry out oceanic survey operations. 

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According to the report, Houthi accounts on social media platforms circulated photos and videos of the submarine and claimed it to be a "Houthi military achievement." 

However, Al Mashad reported that it turned out to be the same vehicle seized by the Houthis in 2018 and presented it at the time as a "spy submarine" and today operates as an "attack drone submarine." 

The Arab Journal also wrote that the Houthis seized the REMUS 600, which is considered the latest innovation in the field of marine espionage and is equipped with advanced technologies such as scanning, audio, and video imaging. 


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The REMUS 600 AUV

The Oceanographic Systems Lab wrote that the REMUS 600 AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) was designed to support the US Navy's need for operations requiring extended endurance and greater operating depth. 

The max depth of the REMUS 600 is 600 meters, and it is considered the most versatile member of the REMUS AUVs, the Oceanographic Systems Lab said. 

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The REMUS 600 was created by the US-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and designed by the Oceanographic Systems Lab. The technology is mostly used for expeditionary mine countermeasures, surveillance and reconnaissance, hydrographic survey, and area research, Naval Technology wrote. 

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