What weapons
did the United States
and the United Kingdom hit the Houthis with?
CNN has uncovered weapons and military equipment used
by the United States and the United Kingdom in carrying
out strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen.
According to the spokesman of the Houthi armed forces, Brigadier General Yahya Sarei, 73 incursions were carried out, targeting the capital, Sana 'a, the governorates of Hudaydah, Ta' izz, Hajjah and Sa 'ada.
CNN identified the weapons and military equipment used as follows:
Tomahawk missiles.
The United States Navy's Tomahawk Ground Attack Missiles (TLAM) are low-flying cruise missiles capable of carrying a conventional 1,000-pound warhead for hundreds of miles on land.
Tomahawk missiles are launched from above sea level or from submarines, flying at subsonic speeds on "twisted" or non-straight routes and can overcome air defence systems, according to a United States Navy specification document.
The document states that Tomahawk missiles are highly accurate
and because they are GPS-guided, they can change targets or routes
after launch as needed.
"The missile is capable of wandering over the target area in order to respond to emerging targets or to provide battle damage information to combat commanders via the camera attached to it," the document states.
USS
Florida guided missile submarine
USS Florida is one of four nuclear-powered guided
missile submarines in the United States Navy's fleet.
The large size and strength of the submarine allows the submarine to carry 154
Tomahawk missiles, 50% more than the U.S. Guided Missile Destroyer Group
and nearly four times more than the U.S. Navy's newer attack submarines.
Florida is operated by a nuclear reactor that
provides steam to two turbines that manage the submarine fan.
United States Navy guided missile destroyers
In addition to "Florida," the Pentagon said, U.S. vessels over
the sea also launched Tomahawk missiles against the Houthis.
The backbone of the United States Navy's fleet is the Arleigh Burke
guided missile destroyers, with 70 in service.
The destroyers carry Tomahawk missiles with their vertical launch system (VLS), with each destroyer containing 90 to 96 VLS cells, depending on when they were built.
British Typhoon Fighters
Single-pilot and dual-engine aircraft are the mainstay of the British flight fleet.
These fighters fly at speeds of up to Mach 1.8 and up to 55,000 feet
according to a Royal Air Force specification document.
The British Ministry of Defence said the four fighters involved in the attack on Houthi targets carried Bevway 4 munitions and 500-pound warhead bombs.
Paveway IV munitions contain tail fins that help guide them to their target based
on directions received either from laser signals or through
The British Typhoon aircraft were supported by the Voyager
air fuel tanker, which allows aircraft to fly longer distances.
The British Ministry of Defence did not say where the aircraft took off, but video footage released by Defence Minister Grant Shapps showed that the fighters took off at night from a land runway on land.
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