Houthi rebels target Red Sea ships as security steps up defense

Yemeni Houthi rebels continue to attack all sea vessels in the Red Sea. Initially, many ballistic missiles were used, but now flying and surface drones in the form of motorboats are becoming more common. This is how the crews of passing ships try to protect themselves.

An interesting video has appeared on the web showing the crew, along with armed security, who, after detecting an approaching motorboat without visible personnel, decided to stop it using firearms.

After just under 20 seconds of firing, the drone was ultimately hit and exploded away from the ship. The security, speaking Ukrainian, was equipped with FN FAL rifles or their self-loading variant L1A1 Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs).

The security most likely belonged to one of the many private maritime military companies that offer protection on the open sea outside the territorial waters of countries and ports, where regulations often prohibit the crew from possessing weapons. These companies typically provide security before entering a dangerous region and pick them up after passing through it.

Designed in the 1950s and introduced to service in 1953 in the Belgian armed forces, the FN FAL rifle was ahead of its time because it offered enormous firepower in a modern and lightweight package compared to its predecessors. It's no wonder that quickly, just a few years later, additional orders came in from Israel, Germany, and Canada.

Particularly, the last purchase was very important because inspired by the experiences of Canadians, the British joined in 1957. Thanks to them, in the following years, the rifle in the semi-automatic version designated as the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) spread to other Commonwealth countries.

Due to its popularity gained through efficiency and durability, the rifle was ultimately used in almost 100 countries worldwide, where in some, it still serves today. For this reason, it also participated in practically all conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries and earned the nickname "the right arm of the free world." It is also a weapon valued by non-state entities and many civilian users.

The FN FAL operates on a short-stroke gas piston system, with locking achieved by tilting the bolt vertically. A unique feature is a multi-position gas regulator, allowing precise weapon adjustment to the given ammunition, which can be problematic for inexperienced shooters (easy to misadjust, resulting in jamming).

The rifle's receiver is milled from a single block of steel, increasing the rigidity of the construction but raising production costs. The rifle has a feature of locking the moving group in the rear position after firing the last round, saving time during reloading, and was a rare addition at the time of its debut. Similarly, the charging handle does not move during firing.

The FN FAL is most commonly fed from 20-round steel magazines and weighs approximately 4.3 kg (9.5 lbs) in its basic version. Its barrel length is 109 cm (43 inches), 53 cm (21 inches). There is also a PARA version with a folding stock and shortened barrel, and a FALO version that serves as a machine gun.

The FN FAL uses 7.62x51 mm NATO / .308 Winchester ammunition, which means the bullet exiting the barrel has a muzzle energy of slightly over 3,000 joules (2,200 foot-pounds). This is a very good value for overcoming obstacles like walls or a few mm of steel and performs significantly better in this respect than the AK rifle, which is about 2,000 joules (1,475 foot-pounds). This aspect proved very useful in damaging and destroying the Houthi kamikaze boat.