US Lost or Damaged 81 Military Aircraft in Iran War, CRS Report Says

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — WEB DESK: At least 81 US military aircraft, helicopters and drones have been reported lost or damaged during American operations against Iran since the conflict began in February, highlighting the mounting equipment toll of the prolonged war.

The latest assessment covers fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial systems affected during US military operations against Iran since February 28.

Unmanned aircraft account for a significant share of the tally, with at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones listed as lost during the conflict.

The assessment also includes 12 F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, one F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter, two A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and seven KC-135 aerial refuelling tankers.

Other aircraft on the list include an E-3 Sentry airborne warning aircraft, two MC-130J Commando II planes and several helicopters and additional unmanned systems.

However, the figure of 81 should not be interpreted as 81 aircraft destroyed directly by Iranian forces.

The overall accounting includes aircraft lost or damaged through several causes during operations connected to the conflict, including Iranian attacks, combat losses, friendly-fire incidents and other operational circumstances.

Three F-15E Strike Eagles, for example, were destroyed in a friendly-fire incident over Kuwait in March, while another F-15E was lost over Iran in April.

Iranian strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan in September damaged several US aircraft. Around eight F-15Es sustained relatively light damage in those strikes and were subsequently returned to service.

The tally also remains subject to revision because the conflict is continuing, some information remains classified and attribution for individual losses may change as additional information becomes available.

Some aircraft classified as damaged have already been repaired and returned to operational service.

The financial impact of US equipment losses has also become a focus in Washington.

A September estimate placed the cost of replacing equipment lost in the conflict at between $1.9 billion and $3.3 billion as of August 1, depending on the Pentagon’s replacement plans.

The scale of MQ-9 Reaper losses is particularly notable. The remotely piloted aircraft are extensively used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike missions.

The latest assessment provides one of the clearest publicly available pictures of the impact the Iran conflict has had on US military aviation.

It also demonstrates that the aviation toll cannot be attributed solely to successful Iranian attacks, as the overall figure combines aircraft affected by several different causes across months of military operations.

With fighting continuing and some military information remaining classified, the final number and financial cost of US aircraft losses could change as further assessments become available.