US lost 81 planes, drones worth $3.3B in Iran war
What's the story
The United States military has lost or damaged 81 aircraft since the conflict in Iran started, a new report by the Congressional Research Service has revealed. The replacement cost for the lost equipment through August 1 is estimated to be around $3.3 billion. Among the lost aircraft are some of America's most advanced warplanes, including one F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter and 12 F-15E Strike Eagle fighters that were either destroyed or damaged.
Loss breakdown
Friendly fire incidents in Kuwait
The report details that three F-15 jets were shot down in friendly fire over Kuwait on March 2. Another was shot down over Iran the next month.
Eight other F-15Es suffered minor damage during Iranian airstrikes on Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in September but have since been repaired and returned to service.
Drone and surveillance losses
Loss of Reaper drones
The report also highlights the loss of at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, each valued between $30 million and $50 million. These versatile drones are used for both surveillance and missile strikes.
The loss has reduced the fleet to 135, far short of the Air Force's requirement of at least 189 deployable units.
Other significant losses include one $270 million E-3 Sentry surveillance plane, an aging but vital platform based on the Boeing 707 airliner.
Conflict expenses
Total cost of Iran conflict
The total cost of the Iran conflict has now reached $43.6 billion, according to US Central Command estimates last month. This is a $5 billion increase from August figures.
Weapons costs alone jumped by over $6 billion during this period, from $21.7 billion as per the Congressional Budget Office report to $28.1 billion in US Central Command's estimate.