It was actually an Iranian drone. It may have been guided by a Houthi, or it may have been controlled by members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who are operating in Yemen. Either way Iran is responsible, although the Biden Admin. likes to pretend otherwise.
The technology is the easy part.
The more important angle of this problem is that these ships are owned/flagged in countries that don't have AWACS aircraft and wouldn't know how to fly one anyway.
And the countries that DO have the capability to do what you suggest don't have the legal or diplomatic authority to protect ships from those sh!t-hole countries anyway.
Newsweek says the ship was carrying Russian oil to China. So maybe China should lay a whipping on the Houthis. After all, China has a big navy now, right?
Plus, the ship was flying a Liberian flag of convenience. I get that freedom of the seas is a very good thing. But should such a ship automatically expect US Navy protection? Seems to me if you want US protection, you might want to do the paperwork, pay the taxes, and fly the Stars and Stripes.
https://www.newsweek.com/houthi-sea-drone-attacked-tanker-russian-oil-china-1926376
Thinking the same thing. It’s become embarrassing.
Thank you Senile and Chief!
Time to turn Yemen into a glass parking lot.
Declare the beaches of Yemen closed, and setup drones to napalm anything that goes within 1000 feet of the water.
We had a perfect moment to clobber the Houthis when they started attacking shipping in the Red Sea. That would have sent a message to Iran. Biden and his national security chumps are cowards.