Houthis test experimental maritime weapons amid arsenal expansion

Houthi forces in Yemen are experimenting with advanced maritime weapons, including possible “loitering torpedoes”, as evidence points to efforts to expand their arsenal and reduce dependence on imported systems.

Conflict Armament Research said investigators had identified navigation modules and propellers that could be used in such torpedoes, technology it has not documented in the possession of any other armed group. The organisation said the components could allow the Houthis to extend the range of attacks on ships and other maritime targets.

The findings come as the group has strengthened its position along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The Houthis say their latest offensive has brought thousands of square kilometres of territory under their control, while fighting has displaced more than 125,000.

CAR said Iran remains central to the Houthis’ weapons supply chain, providing weapons, assembly kits and components while helping create the technical base for local production. Its investigators have documented more than 800 missile and drone components recovered from maritime seizures in the Red Sea during 2024 and 2025.

Rob Hunter-Parkins, CAR’s head of research, said evidence suggested Iran-linked networks were supplying finished systems, knockdown kits and material intended to support manufacture inside Yemen. He said the Houthis appeared to be using that technological foundation for their own research and development, including work involving hydrogen power to increase the range of uncrewed systems.

CAR’s assessment builds on earlier findings that the Houthis now operate a wider range of missiles, drones, anti-tank weapons, artillery rockets and underwater systems than they possessed when they seized Sanaa in 2014. The group has moved from ageing Soviet-derived missiles to an arsenal that investigators say includes at least 10 missile types.

The evidence also points to advances in how the Houthis combine surveillance and strike systems. Fabian Hinz, a CAR analyst, cited a ballistic missile launch conducted soon after a surveillance-drone flight as an example of improving tactics and operational coordination.

Separate evidence has raised questions about attempts to develop more sophisticated guidance technology. Anthropic said this month that a cell of users in Houthi-controlled northern Yemen tried to use its Claude artificial-intelligence system to develop software for three weapons programmes: a guided rocket, a multistage ballistic missile with a stated range exceeding 2,000 kilometres and a missile family including a hypersonic glide-vehicle variant.

Anthropic said it found no evidence that the actors fielded an operational weapon. It said they conducted a live guided-rocket test that appeared to fail and returned to the system within hours to analyse the failure. The company said it blocked accounts linked to the activity but found that the users had already built an offline simulation toolkit capable of supporting further work without Claude.

The identity of the users was not publicly confirmed. Anthropic located them in northern Yemen, where Houthi authorities control population centres, but did not formally name the group.

The weapons developments are unfolding alongside renewed fighting in Yemen and Houthi activity around the Bab el-Mandeb, the waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The group has previously used missiles, explosive drones and uncrewed boats against vessels, and launched long-range strikes towards Israel and Saudi Arabia.

A United Nations panel has concluded that the Houthis could not develop several categories of complex weapons without outside support. Its investigations found similarities between Houthi systems and materiel produced or operated by Iran and allied armed groups, while maritime interdictions have repeatedly uncovered missile parts, explosives, drones, radar equipment and other military goods bound for Yemen.

A UN report covering 2025 recorded a June seizure of more than 750 tonnes of ammunition and hardware destined for the Houthis, including cruise, anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles with characteristics resembling Iranian-produced systems. Other intercepted cargoes contained drone kits, GPS modules, propellers, surveillance equipment and communication devices.