How many missiles and drones the Houthis fired at American warships?

The western media are not reporting much about the fireworks in the Red Sea as if nothing much is happening there. Occasionally there will be a short article about a ship being hit, but nothing really serious. And there is absolutely no reports of American or western warships being hit or damage, as if the Houthis' missiles are all duds or inaccurate. Oops, so far only reports of one or two American warships being hit.

How serious is the daily attacks by the Houthis on the ships in the Red Sea? There is a report on the successful hits by American pilots operating in the region. One American fighter aircraft has plastered itself with signs of 15 missiles and 6 drones, bragging that it had shot down 15 missiles and 6 drones by that aircraft/pilot. This number can be used to extrapolate the intensity of the warfare in the Red Sea, assuming that the Americans are not lying.

An aircraft carrier like Eisenhower can carry about 36 fighter aircraft. Assuming that 30 are serviceable and operational and were engaged in intercepting Houthis missiles and drones. And assuming that each aircraft would have hit an average of 10 missiles and 3 drones, very likely not every aircraft would be so successful to have killed 15 missiles and 6 drones. 30 fighter aircraft would hit a total of 300 missiles and 90 drones. These would be the minimum number of missiles fired and drones flown by the Houthis.

It is not expected that the Americans are so good that they could hit every missile and drone fired by the Houthis. A generous assumption is for a 50% killed rate, could be even only 30% as intercepting a missile in the air, or a very small drone, is not that easy. At 50%, it would mean the Houthis would have fired 600 missiles and 180 drones so far. The real numbers could be much higher.

What these meant is that the Red Sea is a very busy area with missiles and drones all over the airspace, day and night. But main media reports so far said only a handful of ships had been hit, and very few American or allied warship were hit. This could mean that the Houthis were firing duds or their missiles and drones were totally useless, unable to hit their targets, with at least a 1000 pieces being fired.

What is the truth?

The American aircraft carrier and several warships had to replenish their weapons on board after firing all at the Houthis missiles and drones. The aircraft carrier had returned to base, either finishing all their weapons and ammunition or for repairs after the report of being hit but denied by the Americans.

 

Marcos betrayed by the Americans...do not invoke the defense treaty!

 Mickey Marcos's face cannot be more red than ever after this latest incident. He thought he could become another Zelensky and be the face on every western media, and invited everywhere to beg for money and be given, if he could provoke and taunt China into a fight.

Unfortunately, the Americans' intent is just to use the Pinoys as a tool to agitate China for publicity. Period. The Americans would not go to war with China. They can't. They would lose. All the American warships in the area would be sunk. The Americans know this.

But silly Mickey Marcos did not. He must be thinking that a hot war with the Americans fighting in the front line, the Pinoys hiding behind, would be enough for him to declare martial law in the Philippines, like his father did, and he will be entrenched as the President for as long as he is alive. No need to end after one term. Can also lock up all the Dutertes and his political enemies, like his father did.

No way would the Americans be willing to fight a war and die for a few reefs in the South China Sea and in a war they cannot win. It would be very different if the Pinoys were taking on another small Asean state. The defence treaty would be activated immediately as it would be a case of the Americans wielding its big stick against helpless little states that cannot fight back.

China is not a small hapless state and carries an equally big stick. And no way can the Americans fight and win in China's courtyard. Period.

China will not restrain itself anymore. Silly antics and provocations by the Pinoys would mean ouch, ouch, ouch. It is about time that China drags the piece of rusty sheet metal from its island. Oooh, the Pinoys called it a warship!

Anonymous

Yen and Rupee competing to stay afloat

 India is not USA, given the advantage of being allowed by the oil producers to price oil in US$. That move by the USA forced all countries to accumulate US$ for purchase of oil and gives the USA the privilege of printing unlimited piles of toilet papers that the world needs to hold. The importance of oil today shows how big an effect that arrangement has benefited the USA for five decades. It is however ending, with Saudi Arabia ending the 50- year pact with the USA and now pricing its oil in other currencies as well.

Knowing the US$ hegemony is ending sooner or later, the USA is spending like no tomorrow and printing toilet papers furiously, making hay while the sun shines. But as demand for treasuries are falling to enable the Fed to print at will, it is reported by some sources, not officially of course, that the USA Treasury itself had stealthily been forced to buy back its own treasuries. That is how bad the situation is. Janet Yellen can yell until she loses her voice, but not many are listening and buying treasuries. The two top foreign buyers, China and Japan, have been selling treasuries instead of buying. Even the Fed is not buying.

With Japan fighting a furious battle to prop up the Yen, the indications are that Japan will have to sell off the bulk of its treasury holdings, which will cause Janet Yellen coming out to warn Japan strongly again not to go overboard, with threats of consequences as usual. Japan is now caught between a rock and a hard place. Japan is paralyzed, impotent, and sliding further into oblivion. Revised data showed that Japan's economy slid further with a 2.9% contraction in the first quarter of 2024.

India could follow the USA by insisting that its most valuable export, which are CECA workers, be paid in Rupees to create a demand for Rupees. Singapore, Japan and others can then accumulate more Rupees to pay Indian workers, LOL. Japan ought to accumulate more rupees instead as the Yen is doing even worse than the Rupee.

Anonymous

Trojan Horse already entrenched in BRICS

 BRICS stands for - 'Be Realistic In Choosing Sides' which is some advice for those not yet decided on joining BRICS. For those running the show in BRICS, I would even say that choosing members that are trustworthy is just as important and not in a carefree manner. Choosing wrongly and admitting a 'Trojan Horse' will destroy the whole ideal. That is BRICS dilemma with regard to India today.

India wants to have the cake and eat it. It wants to benefit both ways. Having no realistic clout, it still wants to show it is calling the shots, just to boost its fake ego by blocking membership expansion. What does those who aspire to join BRICS think of India? Certainly not positive at all! Thus, it is derailing all the efforts that others in BRICS are striving to uphold by admitting more members into the bloc to make it stronger.

India is a fringe player in BRICS. Not a big and important player in energy, not a manufacturing hub, not an innovation hub, not excelling in cutting edge technology or even in infrastructure development. The only thing that India has is its population explosion, that is being hyped up by Western sources as another big consumer market to rival China. India is thus thinking it will provide a big consumer market for other Global South countries. In truth, that is not realistic an expectation for the near future, the next decade or so, as India is still a poor country with little consumer demand capacity compared to China.

Even then, what demand that is coming up over the next decade or two is going to be geared towards benefitting local Indian manufacturing before opening up to the rest of the Global South. Right now, we have seen how India is preventing Chinese products from accessing the country. Handphones, computers and EVs have all been curtailed. 

Anonymous

Modi snubs SCO summit because of the ...tans

 PM Modi snubs SCO summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to skip the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Astana next week.

The SCO summit to be held on July 3 and 4 is expected to focus on the regional security situation and ways to boost connectivity and trade.

While the Indian side has not officially stated the reasons for the prime minister’s decision to skip the summit, it is understood that the strained relations with China are among the factors that influenced the move.

The nine member states of the SCO are India, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Anonymous

PS. Modi cannot stand the presence of Muslims. All the xxxtans are Muslims, Iran as well.