On May 6, out of the blue, President Donald Trump declared victory over the Houthis, promising to stop the US bombing campaign in Yemen. Now it emerges that the real reason behind the sudden announcement was that after two months of relentless bombings, burning through over US$1 billion, losing at least seven MQ-9 Reaper drones and two F/A-18 Super Hornets, the Houthis were still firing on US assets in the Red Sea and America was nowhere close to establishing air superiority.

What’s worse, on multiple occasions, the Houthis were close to hitting the F-16s and even an F-35 stealth fighter jet.

The revelations were made by The New York Times, which suggested that weary of entering another protracted conflict in the Middle East, Trump decided to abruptly end the conflict after taking the off-ramp provided to him by the Houthis.

The Houthis promised to stop attacking the US ships in the Red Sea, without giving this assurance for any vessels that the group deemed helpful to Israel. In return, the US promised to stop bombing the Houthis.

However, the most shocking revelation in the report was that the US, during its bombing campaign in Yemen, came close to losing two of its most advanced fighter jets, the fourth-generation F-16 and even a fifth-generation stealth fighter, the F-35, to the air defense systems operated by the Houthis.

This, in addition to the seven MQ-9 Reaper drones and two F/A-18 Super Hornets that the US has already lost in this campaign.

The fact that the US, the world’s largest economy, was about to lose two of its most advanced fighter jets in Yemen, one of the most impoverished countries in the world, underlines the perils of asymmetric warfare in the modern world.

Additionally, it highlights how rapidly the Western fighter jets are losing their sheen. Once deemed invincible, these fighter jets, including the stealth fighters, are now within striking range of even a militia force like the Houthis.

Coming after reports of a Rafale fighter jet, possibly two or even three, downed in India by Chinese-made jets armed with Chinese missiles, and two reported losses of F-16s in Ukraine, it is hard to escape the conclusion that Western fighter jets no longer carry the aura of invincibility around them.

MQ-9 Reaper Drones & F/A-18 Super Hornets

According to reports, the US lost at least seven MQ-9 Reaper drones in Yemen. Most of the high-value unmanned aircraft, each costing around US$30 million, were conducting surveillance over Yemeni airspace when they were hit.

This means that the Houthis have downed MQ-9 Reaper drones worth over US$ 200 million.

Analysts believe the Houthis used mobile surface-to-air missile systems and possibly electronic warfare tactics to target the drones. Their arsenal likely includes Iranian-derived systems like the Sayyad-2C and Saqr, as well as Russian-made SA-6 missiles.

The US also lost two F/A-18 Super Hornets, each costing upwards of US$65 million. Within 10 days of each other, both fighter jets tumbled into the Red Sea from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman.

On April 28, the Truman was forced to make a hard turn at sea to avoid incoming Houthi missiles, causing an F/A-18 Super Hornet, which was towed at the time, to fall into the sea.

Then, on May 6, two pilots were forced to eject after their Super Hornet failed to catch the steel cable on the carrier deck, sending the plane into the Red Sea.

Near Loss Of F-16 & F-35

However, the most serious loss would have been of the F-16 and F-35. The F-35 is one of the US’s most advanced stealth fighter jets.

The New York Times report revealed that the Houthis’ air defense system was close to hitting these two fighter jets as well.

“Several American F-16s and an F-35 fighter jet were nearly struck by Houthi air defenses, making real the possibility of American casualties, multiple U.S. officials said,” according to the report.

The real possibility of American casualties, or worse, the nightmare of an American fighter pilot captured alive by the Houthis, forced the Trump administration to declare a premature victory and cessation of hostilities.

This also raises another serious question: if the unspecified radars and air defense units of the Houthis can detect an F-35 and possibly even hit it with a surface-to-air missile, then it means that the American stealth fighters are not as invisible as they seem.

If Houthi air defense units can detect it, then surely the Chinese and Russians, with their much more advanced air defense systems, can also detect the F-35.

If the Houthis were able to hit an F-35, it would have been a tremendous loss of face for the US and Lockheed Martin, and could have impacted potential future deals for the stealth aircraft, worth billions of dollars.

The aircraft costs upwards of US$100 million. Notably, the stealth fighter jet has been exported to 19 countries, and many other countries, including India, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, are considering purchasing the aircraft.

All these factors possibly played on Donald Trump’s mind while declaring a premature victory over the Houthis.