Yemen's Surprise Weapon in Bab al-Mandab / What Is the 'Shuwaz' Drone?

A review of images published from the Kahbub and al-Wazi'iyah operations, in the narrative of Yemen's war media, shows that the mission of the 'Shuwaz' drone was not limited to pursuing military vehicles, armored vehicles, fortifications and defensive barriers, but also included personnel present on the field.

The use of "Shwaaz" UAV by the Yemeni armed forces in Lahj, Al-Waziyah and Kahboub axes, near Bab al-Mandab, is a sign of the increasing importance of UAVs in attack, reconnaissance and psychological warfare. The published images are presented with the aim of showing the damage to the Saudi-backed forces and strengthening deterrence; However, the rate assessment

According to Ferraro's report, citing Al-Mayadin, the recent military developments in the southwestern fronts of Yemen indicate the formation of a new stage in the field confrontation between Sana'a and Riyadh. The Yemeni armed forces have announced the use of "Shwaaz" drones for the first time in military operations; According to Yemen's war media, the drone targeted the positions and gatherings of Saudi-backed forces on the way to Lahj to Al-Waziyah and Kahabob areas, in the vicinity of the strategic Bab al-Mandab crossing.

Publishing the images of this operation, in addition to highlighting the military functions of this drone, has become a tool to strengthen psychological deterrence and propaganda competition between the involved parties.

"Shuwaz"; A tactical weapon with offensive and reconnaissance capabilities

In the past days, the war media affiliated with the Yemeni armed forces published images of the operation against the gatherings of Saudi-backed forces and the pursuit of their military equipment. These images, according to the publishers' claim, showed significant damages in the deployment positions of these forces and spoke of the creation of obstacles against the efforts to advance in this axis.

According to the Yemeni media narrative, the use of "Shwaaz" drones has helped to change the way of dealing with the military movements of the other side and made the infiltration efforts more costly. In this framework, preemptive operations and the use of this type of weapon are introduced as effective factors in the tactical success of the Yemeni forces.

However, the importance of this drone is not limited to its attack capability. In the presented narrative, "Shwaaz" is an example of low-cost tactical weapons with high maneuverability, which is controlled remotely and allows live transmission of images from the scene of operations. Such a capability can have two functions at the same time: carrying out attacks against targets and gathering information about the location, number of forces, equipment and movements of the opposing party.

The combination of these two functions allows the field commanders to get a more accurate picture of the situation on the front and adjust their operational decisions according to the conditions of the field. Also, the use of remote guidance systems can reduce the need for the direct presence of troops in some high-risk situations; However, the actual amount of this effect depends on the technical capability of the system and the conditions of each operation.

Pursuing troops and changing the deployment pattern in the field

Examining the published images of the Kahabob and Al-Waziyah operations, in the narrative of the Yemeni war media, shows that the mission of the "Shwaaz" drone was not limited to the pursuit of military vehicles, armored vehicles, fortifications and defense barriers, and also included the people present in the field.

Accordingly, this UAV is introduced as a tool with a dual mission: on the one hand, it has the ability to attack and pursue targets, and on the other hand, it is used to identify the situation of the opposing forces and transmit information. These features can be effective in managing operations and evaluating field conditions.

Meanwhile, based on the published images, it can be said that the presence of this drone has changed the deployment pattern of Saudi-backed forces. Instead of moving in clear military columns and convoys to show power, these forces have been pushed to spread out more and adopt defensive and covert postures.

In this view, changing the way of deployment does not necessarily mean that the troops are immune from attack; Rather, it shows that the threat posed by drones can change tactical calculations and increase the cost of maintaining the concentration of forces and equipment in an area.