#Yemen | Upon further review, the landing gear assembly found among the debris recovered from a drone reportedly shot down over Ma'rib today bears a strong resemblance to the nose landing gear assembly of an MQ-9 Reaper. The wheel assembly, shock strut, upper mounting point, and mechanical linkage locations all align closely despite the damage sustained by the recovered component (see photo below).

It is important to note that the MQ-9 Reaper is not operated exclusively by the United States. The platform has also been exported to countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others, meaning the presence of MQ-9-type wreckage alone does not confirm the operator.

If the debris is indeed from an MQ-9, it appears that whoever is operating these systems continues to fly into what has become a well-established Houthi air denial zone around the Haylan Mountains, an area repeatedly cited by local media in connection with drone shootdowns.

Should this incident ultimately be confirmed as the loss of an MQ-9 Reaper, it would bring the total number of MQ-9s lost over Yemen since 2017 to 28. At an estimated unit cost of roughly $30 million, that would represent approximately $830 million in losses.

Of course, this assessment assumes the aircraft was actually shot down and was not lost due to friendly fire, human error, mechanical failure, or the less likely possibility that AQAP in Yemen has acquired and successfully employed surface-to-air missile capabilities.

Breakdown by governorate:

Ma'rib Governorate: 8

1) May 29, 2026

2) May 17, 2026

3) March 23, 2021

4) May 17, 2024

5) May 29, 2024

6) September 7, 2024

7) January 1, 2025

8) March 31, 2025

Hudaydah Governorate: 5

9) June 6, 2019

10) November 8, 2023

11) January 19, 2024

12) April 4, 2025

13) April 3, 2025

Sa'dah Governorate: 4

14) April 26, 2024

15) August 4, 2024

16) September 10, 2024

17) September 30, 2024

Sana'a Governorate: 3

18) October 1, 2017

19) April 18, 2025

20) April 19, 2025

Al-Jawf Governorate: 2

21) 20) November 8, 2024

22) 21) April 9, 2025

Al-Bayda Governorate: 2

23) 22) May 21, 2024

24) 23) December 28, 2024

Dhamar Governorate: 2

25) August 20, 2019

26) September 16, 2024

Hajjah Governorate: 2

27) April 13, 2025

28) April 22, 2025