Hah, great link Ghi, I can't believe that picture. They love their falcons and predator birds, but I had no idea they could have their own passports, and could fly in bulk like that. Crazy world.
Regarding the Frigate hit, obviously the guys filming the event are part of the group responsible for launching the missile, they were waiting for it to hit, and in close visual range, I don't think it's likely somebody happened to be within a couple/few thousand yards of a warship and filming just by coincidence.
The missile when I paused and looked closely appears to detonate close aboard, it may be that the defenses got it very, very close, or maybe it's just the angle, and it hit high and the explosion blew out and up more. Anyway, it didn't look like any major superstructure was blown off, smoking yes, but it was performing a turn and still afloat in the last few seconds of the video, and wasn't burning all that badly (yet perhaps, fire is the major cause of destruction of warships not hit by torpedoes I've read many times). I don't believe that it's been destroyed until I hear the Saudis confirm it, especially based on the video so far. After just watching a old 2 part 3 hour series on the Falklands over the holidays, many of the Brit frigs and destroyers hit took quite a while to eventually sink or burn up too though.
In any case, anti ship missiles are obviously pretty effective still, even the subsonic "cheap" ones out there. Makes me wonder how well modern ships will perform defending against the mach3 and even mach5 low altitude. Much smarter anti ship missiles, like the Yakhont and Brahmos ramjet weapons, and the Club too which really screws up intercept solutions going from subsonic to mach3 or 4 on the deck in the terminal phase.
edit - Saudi is saying that it was a suicide boat that rammed the ship, that fits a lot more with the explosion than what a typical AS missile hit looks like from all the vids online of them. I do wonder why both boats, if there were two, the one filming and the one that supposedly rammed, were allowed so close.
