Wreckage of a CH4 drone after it was shot down by Yemen armed forces on 1 December 2021. (Yemen Armed Forces via Twitter)
On 13 December, air defenses of the Yemeni armed forces successfully intercepted and shot down a Saudi drone that was on a reconnaissance mission in the province of Shabwa.
In a message posted on his Twitter account, the spokesperson for the Yemeni armed forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said a surface-to-air missile was used to bring down the Chinese-made CH4 unmanned aerial vehicle that was violating the country’s airspace.
A few moments ago , our air defenses shot down a Chinese-made armed spy plane CH4 belonging to the Saudi Air Force with a surface-to-air missile that, while it was carrying out hostile acts in the airspace of Asilan district in Shabwa Governorate.
— Yahya Sare'e (@Yahya_Saree) December 13, 2021
The CH4 drone, which is manufactured by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), is frequently used for intelligence gathering and combat missions as it can launch air-to-surface missiles from an altitude that is beyond the reach of ordinary anti-aircraft weapons.
The CH4 drones are part of the arsenal of drones that the Saudi-led coalition uses against the people of Yemen. The arsenal also includes the ScanEagle drones manufactured by US defense contractor Boeing.
In the last couple of months, the Yemeni armed forces and the allied Popular Committees have shot down at least a dozen CH4 and ScanEagle drones belonging to the Saudi-led coalition.
On 1 December, Yemeni armed forces shot down a CH4 drone flying over the province of Amran. On 10 December, a ScanEagle was intercepted and shot down as it was flying over Marib province.
Despite having a huge array of sophisticated weapons, the Saudi-led coalition has failed to stop the Yemeni army and the allied Popular Committees from scoring decisive military victories against it and the militias it backs. On 8 December, local media reports revealed that the Saudi-led coalition is on the verge of losing control of the key city of Marib.
With the support of the US, the Saudi-led coalition invaded Yemen in 2015 with the aim of restoring the government of former Saudi-backed president, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.