Houthi rebels possess hypersonic missile: RIA

SANAA: Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have a new, hypersonic missile in their arsenal, Russia’s state media reported on Thursday.

The report by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited an unnamed official but provided no evidence for the claim.

The Houthis have for weeks hinted about “surprises” they plan for the batles at sea to counter the United States and its allies, which have so far been able to down any missile or bomb-carrying drone that comes near their warships.

Adding a hypersonic missile to their arsenal could pose a more formidable challenge to the air defense systems employed by America and its allies, including Israel.

“The group’s missile forces have successfully tested a missile that is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8 and runs on solid fuel,” a military official close to the Houthis said, according to the RIA report.

The Houthis “intend to begin manufacturing it for use during atacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel.” Mach 8 is eight times the speed of sound.

Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds higher than Mach 5, could pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability.

Ballistic missiles fly on a trajectory in which anti-missile systems like the Us-made Patriot can anticipate their path and intercept them.

The more irregular the missile’s flight path, such as a hypersonic missile with the ability to change directions, the more difficult it becomes to intercept.

China is believed to be pursuing the weapons, as is America.

Russia claims it has already used them. Ater seizing Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, the Houthis ransacked government arsenals, which held Soviet-era Scud missiles and other arms.