Bloomberg Reveals: 16 US Military Aircraft Destroyed in Iran War

Washington / Middle East | March 20, 2026
In a major battlefield disclosure, Bloomberg has reported that the United States has suffered significant aviation losses since the start of its war against Iran.
At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran, including 10 Reaper strike drones hit by enemy fire, along with a half-dozen other planes badly damaged in attacks or accidents. 
The most serious losses resulted from accidents: three US F-15s were downed by friendly fire in Kuwait, and a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker was destroyed during a refueling operation — with all six crew members aboard killed. 
According to a detailed incident log, the KC-135 tanker crash occurred on March 12 over western Iraq in what CENTCOM described as an apparent mid-air collision with another KC-135 during a refueling operation. 
Two US officials confirmed to ABC News that the Reaper drones were either shot down by Iranian missile fire or destroyed on the ground by incoming strikes. The Reaper serves a dual purpose in combat zones — conducting surveillance while also carrying Hellfire missiles for strikes.  (Pravda Slovakia) 
According to the Wall Street Journal, each Reaper drone is valued at approximately $30–32 million, placing the total estimated loss for the Reaper fleet alone at over $330 million. 
The Air Force announced its final five-year purchasing contract for Reapers in 2020, and manufacturer General Atomics closed the production line after building 575 of them — making these losses strategically difficult to replace.  (NPR)
On the political front, the Trump administration’s top counterterrorism official Joe Kent announced his resignation in opposition to the Iran war, becoming the highest-profile administration official to step down publicly over the conflict. In his resignation letter, Kent wrote that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States.