At Least 81 US Aircraft Destroyed or Damaged in Iran War: Report

Washington: At least 81 US fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned aircraft have been destroyed or damaged during military operations against Iran, according to a recent report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS). The figures cover incidents since February 28 and were compiled from Pentagon records, US Central Command (CENTCOM) statements, military inspector general investigations and media reports.
Unmanned aircraft suffered the heaviest losses. Forty-five MQ-9 Reaper drones and three MQ-1 multirole aircraft were shot down, while one MQ-4C Triton was lost in an in-flight accident.
Crewed combat aircraft were also hit. In total, 12 F-15E Strike Eagles were affected: three were destroyed by friendly fire over Kuwait and one was shot down over Iran. The remaining eight sustained minor damage in an Iranian missile attack on Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and later returned to service. An F-35A Lightning II was damaged by Iranian ground fire, and two A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft were destroyed or severely damaged.
The US support fleet also took heavy losses. Seven KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft were affected, including a fatal crash in Iraq that killed six personnel, while five were reportedly damaged on the ground in Saudi Arabia. An E-3 Sentry early-warning aircraft was directly targeted, and two MC-130J special operations transport aircraft were deliberately destroyed during a rescue mission. Seven military helicopters, including AH-64 Apache and AH-6 Little Bird models, were also destroyed or damaged.
The disclosures come as the war’s financial costs rise rapidly. The conflict began on February 28 with coordinated US and Israeli operations. A September report by the Lead Inspector General said the campaign had cost $33.4 billion through the end of June, including $3.7 billion in equipment and materiel losses. The Congressional Budget Office estimates replacement costs could reach $3.3 billion.
The CRS cautioned that the loss figures could change, as some information is classified, operations are ongoing and responsibility for certain losses has not been finally determined.