One or two truck launchers (situated in territory controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels) had erected their weapons into firing position and launched a missile arcing high on a ballistic trajectory toward the general position of Mason, the Japanese destroyer Akebono, and the Liberian tanker Central Park-a trio of ships that had been called together the day prior to deal with a boarding by unknown armed assailants.
Since the outbreak of conflict between Hamas and Israel in October 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of missiles and kamikaze drones at Israeli and U.S. targets in a show of support for Palestine. But the weapon(s) fired toward Mason that morning were ballistic missiles-and potentially anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMS), a type of weapon never before used in combat.
If so, it's likely that the Houthis employed the Iranian-built Khalij Fars ("Persian Gulf") ASBM, or a domestic spinoff. The nearly 9-meter-long Khalij Fars attains a peak speed of 40 to 50 miles per minute (Mach 3 or 4) and a maximum range of 186 miles. Thus, the Mason and Akebono had, at most, a few minutes to respond after being informed of the missile's approach by U.S. military radars.
This story is from the July - August 2024 edition of Popular Mechanics US.
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This story is from the July - August 2024 edition of Popular Mechanics US.
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