US loses 81 aircraft, drones worth $3.3 billion in Iran war, says report — SkimNews
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- The US military has lost or damaged at least 81 aircraft, drones, and helicopters worth up to $3.3 billion since the war with Iran began, according to a Congressional Research Service report, with the figure potentially affecting operational capabilities.
- MQ-9 Reaper drones account for the largest single category of losses at 45 aircraft, each valued at $30–50 million, pushing the operational Reaper fleet down to 135 against an Air Force target of at least 189 deployable drones.
- F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets are the hardest-hit manned platform, with 12 lost or damaged — including three in what the US called friendly-fire incidents over Kuwait on March 2 and one shot down over Iran in April, plus eight damaged in Iranian airstrikes on Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on September 9–10.
- An F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter valued at over $92 million was damaged after coming under Iranian fire on March 19, a significant loss given the aircraft's advanced sensors and networked battlefield capabilities.
- An E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft worth approximately $270 million was lost, shrinking the military's limited fleet of specialized surveillance platforms that the US had numbered at 32 as of 2015.
- Supporting aircraft lost or damaged include 7 KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers, 2 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, 2 MC-130J Commando IIs, 1 HH-60W Jolly Green II combat-rescue helicopter, 1 MQ-4C Triton, 3 MQ-1 drones, 1 AH-64 Apache, 4 AH-6 Little Birds, and 1 MH-60 Sea Hawk — some of which have since returned to service after repair.
Why it matters: The 45-Reaper loss has already pushed the Air Force below its own minimum deployable drone target of 189, creating a 54-aircraft surveillance and strike gap that constrains future operations regardless of the war's outcome. The $3.3 billion in damaged or destroyed assets includes capabilities — like the single E-3 Sentry — that cannot be quickly replaced, and the $92 million F-35A damage alone illustrates how even non-catastrophic hits to low-fleet aircraft become significant costs.
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