Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have developed a new naval weapon in the form of an advanced submarine called “Al Qari’a,” various Arab news outlets reported on Sunday.
The Iran-aligned group claimed to develop and create the weapon themselves. However, Arab media outlets later reported it to be an American unmanned naval vehicle that was re-tooled by the Houthis.
The alleged “submarine weapon” was revealed during a Houthi military exercise on Sunday, Qatari state-funded news site Middle East Monitor reported.
Al Mashad Media, a Lebanese network based in the UAE, reported that the submarine was an American model REMUS 600 (Remote Environmental Monitoring Unit), which is designed to carry out oceanic survey operations.
According to the report, Houthi accounts on social media platforms circulated photos and videos of the submarine and claimed it to be a “Houthi military achievement.”
#تضليل | القوات المسلحة الجوثية تزيل الستار عن الغواصة المسيرة المسماه “القارعة”❌محتوي مضلل ❌ كيف تحققنا ؟ ! ✔️تداولت حسابات حوثية على منصات التواصل بماقيها حساب الاعلام الحربي التابع للحوثين مقاطع وصور تظهر مركبه بحرية أطلق عنها “القارعة”مدعين بأنها صناعة حوثية..… pic.twitter.com/CaINvsEvYl
— عرفات العامرى (@ArafatAmeri) October 27, 2024
However, Al Mashad reported that it turned out to be the same vehicle seized by the Houthis in 2018 and presented it at the time as a “spy submarine” and today operates as an “attack drone submarine.”
The Arab Journal also wrote that the Houthis seized the REMUS 600, which is considered the latest innovation in the field of marine espionage and is equipped with advanced technologies such as scanning, audio, and video imaging.
The REMUS 600 AUV
The Oceanographic Systems Lab wrote that the REMUS 600 AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) was designed to support the US Navy’s need for operations requiring extended endurance and greater operating depth.
The max depth of the REMUS 600 is 600 meters, and it is considered the most versatile member of the REMUS AUVs, the Oceanographic Systems Lab said.
The REMUS 600 was created by the US-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and designed by the Oceanographic Systems Lab. The technology is mostly used for expeditionary mine countermeasures, surveillance and reconnaissance, hydrographic survey, and area research, Naval Technology wrote.
