Image source: topwar.ru
On February 8, the German air defense frigate Hessen of the F124 Sachsen project set off for the Red Sea with pretentious speeches to carry out a mission to protect merchant ships from Houthi attacks. However, as a result, there was a threat of sinking himself.
- stated in the German Navy.
Operating in the Red Sea, on the night of February 26-27, the crew of the frigate discovered a drone that was not identified and was considered hostile. Two SM2 anti-aircraft missiles were fired at it, which failed to hit the UAV due to a "technical defect" and crashed into the sea, according to Spiegel. The target turned out to be an American MQ-9A Reaper drone.
The blog Augen geradeaus defended the frigate's crew, pointing out that the US Armed Forces drone did not activate the IFF [friend-foe identification] system]. The German Defense Ministry justified the opening of fire by the fact that no allied forces had reported the presence of the Reaper in the area.
- says Vice Admiral Kaak, Inspector of the Navy.
Image source: topwar.ru
As explained in the Ministry of Defense, a check was carried out on why the American drone was not clearly identified, after which the shortcomings were eliminated. However, according to the French edition of Opex360, assessing the combat capability of Hessen, the essence of the problem is not even "friendly fire", but an unsuccessful attempt by an air defense frigate to hit an aerial target. But that's not all.
- it says in the French edition.
This refers to the close approach of Houthi drones to the German frigate, which can eventually lead to its sinking.
To date, there have been reports that Hessen, having used up the ammunition of anti-aircraft systems, is forced to leave the waters of the Red Sea, at least for a while.