From Soviet relics to missile strikes: the evolution of Yemen's coastline

History · Published 20 October 2026 · Updated 22 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Yemen's naval history is a study in maritime transformation. Once a non-existent force struggling with basic smuggling, it evolved into a complex theater of modern missile warfare. The journey from second-hand Soviet motor boats to sophisticated anti-ship capabilities reflects a nation fractured by civil war and shifting global alliances.

The modern Yemeni Navy was forged in 1990 through the unification of North and South Yemen. Before this, the two regions developed distinct maritime identities. The North, under the Yemen Arab Republic, built a small navy in 1970 using second-hand Soviet vessels like P4-class motor torpedo boats and T-4 landing craft. In contrast, the South (People's Democratic Republic of Yemen) was a staunch Soviet ally, acquiring a larger fleet in the 1980s, including ten Osa-class fast attack craft and a 4,000-ton Ropucha-class landing ship—the largest vessel in the Yemeni inventory at the time.

The 1994 civil war proved a turning point, devastating the newly merged fleet. During the fighting, 50% of the missile boats and every torpedo boat belonging to the rebels and state troops were destroyed. This period of disorganization was so severe that by December 1995, the navy was unable to prevent the Eritrean Navy from seizing the Hanish Islands. Recovery was slow; the 1990s saw a modest procurement of Chinese Type 021 missile boats and French carbon-hulled patrol boats, alongside a 1,410-ton amphibious ship named Bilqis.

Today, the navy is a fractured entity. Following the 2014 civil war, about two-thirds of the regular armed forces, including the crews of the Chinese Type 021 boats, defected to Houthi-dominated forces. The maritime landscape is now defined by asymmetric tactics: the Houthis have reportedly reactivated decommissioned Soviet minesweepers and utilized smuggled Iranian Noor missiles—local copies of the Chinese C-802—to strike international shipping and coalition vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

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