US wasting expensive weapons on cheap Houthi weapons

 American Update:

The head of U.S. military forces assigned to the Pacific region voiced concerns Wednesday about the cost of shooting down Houthi weapons with missiles and air defense assets needed in a conflict with China in a congressional hearing.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces have been shooting down cheap, Iranian-made missiles and drones with expensive weapons for months since attacks on international shipping and Navy vessels began in November, Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks pointed out in a yearly hearing on Indo-Pacific Command’s (INDOPACOM) posture. Many of the expensive weapons used to counter Houthi attacks could be used in the Pacific theater during a possible China fight, and the cost-benefit ratio does not favor the U.S., Adm. John Aquilino, the outgoing commander, told the House Armed Services Committee.

“We’ve used well over 100 of these missiles to shoot down Houthi drones that cost 100 times less than our own missiles rather than saving them for a potential fight with China,” Banks said.

Troops in the Middle East “are fighting with what they got, and we should never ask them to stop or conserve,” Aquilino responded. “What we do have to do is move forward on our directed energy path to be able to get on the right side of this cost curve. So your point is completely valid.”
...

The US needs to develop cheap drones to respond to the Houthis attacks. 

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