US Military Drone Losses in Conflict with Iran Detailed

Bloomberg, citing an anonymous source as reported by Russia Today, stated that the U.S. military has lost up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the start of its conflict with Iran, accounting for nearly a fifth of Washington’s entire pre-war fleet and valued at close to $1 billion. The bulk of these losses were attributed to Iranian fire, according to Bloomberg.

Each MQ-9 Reaper drone is estimated to cost more than $30 million, and General Atomics had halted production of the model last year, though variants are still being manufactured for foreign customers. The U.S. fleet of Reapers has now fallen to roughly 135 aircraft, significantly below the Air Force’s long-standing minimum floor of 189, according to Lt.

Gen. David Tabor, the Pentagon deputy chief of staff for plans and programs.

A Congressional Research Service report titled ‚U.S. Aircraft Combat Losses in Operation Epic Fury‘ also estimated that the U.S. military had lost 24 MQ-9 Reapers, plus one MQ-4C drone. The total tally includes 42 US aircraft losses, including four F-15E fighter jets, an F-35A fighter jet, an A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft, seven KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes, and a helicopter.

Appearing before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee last Tuesday, Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst reported that the cost of the military operation against Iran had increased from the previously projected $25 billion to $29 billion due to „updated repair and replacement of equipment costs,“ among other factors.