Hellfire Missile Video Reveals MQ-9 Reapers Being Used for Aerial Combat

A 50-second declassified video showing a Hellfire missile striking an unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) has sparked intense debate. Recorded on 30 October 2024 off Yemen's coast, the footage was released during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

The clip shows MQ-9 Reaper drones tracking and engaging what lawmakers described as a UAP. The question now is whether this marked the beginning of US aerial combat with UFOs.

Hellfire Missile Vs. UFO Video Goes Viral

According to Newsweek, Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri presented the footage during a House hearing on UAP transparency.

He said the material was received from a whistleblower. The congressman later posted it on social media, causing it to spread widely within days.

The imagery, labelled with 'LRD LASE DES,' showed one Reaper designating a target while another launched an AGM-114 Hellfire missile.

The object deformed and shed fragments after impact, but no visible explosion followed. Burlison noted: 'It kept going, and it looked like the debris was taken with it.'

The Pentagon did not confirm details. A defence official commented: 'We do not have anything to provide on this.'

UFO Video Reveals MQ-9 Reapers Being Used in Aerial Combat

The video raised eyebrows because it appeared to show an MQ-9 Reaper operating in an air-to-air role. Traditionally used for surveillance and ground strikes, the drone was seemingly deployed against an airborne target.

According to TWZ, such operations are rare, but not without precedent. A Predator drone once fired a Stinger missile at an Iraqi MiG-25 in 2002.

In 2017, a Reaper test successfully used an AIM-9X missile against a target drone. Still, this appears to be one of the first public examples of Reapers launching Hellfires in a live aerial engagement.

Was It Really a UFO?

Analysts remain divided over the object's nature. Some described it as balloon-like, given how it tumbled and lost fragments after impact. Others noted a cylindrical appearance rather than a spherical one.

Experts suggested it could have been a subsonic cruise missile or a kamikaze drone. Both are common in the Yemen theatre, where Houthi forces have launched repeated aerial attacks.

The Pentagon has not confirmed any extraterrestrial link, and past assessments by its All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office found no evidence of alien technology.

Is the US Waging War Against UFOs?

The footage triggered speculation online, with many asking whether the US had entered a conflict with UFOs. Some social media users warned that constant shootdowns of unidentified objects could risk escalation.

Lawmakers focused on transparency. Burlison said: 'I'm not going to speculate what it is, but the question is why are we being blocked from this information?' Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz added: 'We are definitely being lied to, there's just no doubt about that.'

The timing was notable. US forces had been intercepting Houthi drones and missiles in the region since late 2023, making it plausible the engagement involved a conventional threat.

As of press time, the US government hasn't confirmed if the target was really a UAP, if it was just a kamikaze drone, or if they are waging war against the unknown.

Why Hellfire Missile Vs. UFO Video Matters

The viral video matters for several reasons. It showed drones being used in unconventional roles. It raised questions about the rules of engagement in contested zones. It also underscored how little the public knows about UAP incidents.

The footage's connection to Yemen adds further weight. Unidentified objects in such a region could pose a direct danger to US troops and shipping lanes. Lawmakers argued that withholding such evidence only weakens public trust.

What is clear is that a Hellfire missile was fired at an airborne object, and the strike was captured on camera. What remains unclear is what the object was, why it was targeted, and why officials continue to avoid giving answers.

Originally published on IBTimes UK