SAMAD-3 DRONE

The Samad-3 is an Iranian-designed, loitering attack drone manufactured by Iran and domestically assembled by Houthi forces in Yemen. It forms the backbone of the Houthi Red Sea campaign that has disrupted global shipping since October 2023. Used in combination with ballistic missiles and anti-ship missiles, Samad drones are launched in swarms to saturate ship defense systems. The Samad-3's low cost ($20,000) vs the cost of intercepting it ($1M+ per ESSM or Rolling Airframe Missile) creates a devastating economic asymmetry that has forced dozens of shipping companies to reroute around Africa.