US F-16 pilots narrowly escape Yemeni missile ambush
SANAA, Feb. 24 (YPA) – Pentagon-affiliated media have confirmed that the US Air Force faced one of its most dangerous operational ambushes over Yemeni airspace, revealing dramatic details of a missile ambush carried out by Yemeni Air Defenses against American F-16 fighter jets, placing elite US pilots within seconds of death during a complex aerial operation over Yemen.
According to a report by Air & Space Forces Magazine, the incident took place on March 27, 2025, when Yemeni Air Defenses launched six surface-to-air missiles in a single salvo targeting two F-16 Fighting Falcon jets as they withdrew toward the Red Sea. The fighters had been participating in an operation that also involved B-2 Spirit strategic bombers.
The magazine, citing firsthand pilot accounts, said the American pilots, William Parks and Michael Bley, suddenly found themselves under direct missile threat, triggering a desperate fight for survival in hostile airspace whose dangers had not been fully anticipated.
One of the pilots described the moment a Yemeni missile passed directly beneath his aircraft’s wing, close enough for its roar to be clearly heard, adding that crews received only 15 to 20 seconds of warning before the attack.
After the first missile launch, five more missiles followed within minutes, forcing the pilots to carry out high-speed evasive maneuvers and deploy intensive electronic jamming and thermal countermeasures.
The report said the use of afterburners during the violent maneuvers sharply increased fuel consumption to critical levels, threatening the loss of the aircraft even if the missiles did not hit their targets.
In its technical assessment, the magazine revealed that Yemeni Forces combined radar-guided missiles with visual monitoring systems and advanced electro-optical and infrared sensors.
It described this hybrid detection network as particularly surprising because it was not detected by advanced US surveillance systems, allowing Yemeni Forces to execute the ambush with precision and without sufficient prior warning.
Observers say this was not an isolated incident but part of a series of Yemeni air defense successes, including the reported downing of over ten MQ-9 drones since the start of the US-UK campaign, turning Yemeni airspace into a hazardous zone for US aircraft.
Yemeni forces have demonstrated the ability to track and target fast F-16s while countering advanced jamming systems, signaling a shift from passive defense to sophisticated aerial ambush operations against both manned and unmanned aircraft.
The magazine also highlighted apparent US command confusion, noting that General Michael Michael “Erik” Kurilla transferred operational control of Yemen air campaigns from US Central Command to Joint Special Operations Command (Fort Bragg) — an unprecedented move reflecting the failure to neutralize Yemeni capabilities through conventional means.
The revelation underscores the growing deterrence capabilities of Yemeni forces and their success in challenging US technological superiority, shattering long-held claims of American air dominance over Yemen’s mountains and coasts.
@E.Y.M