US Military Suffers Up to $3.3 Billion in Aircraft Losses During Conflict with Iran, Congressional Report Reveals

Airmen from the Texas Air National Guard conduct preflight and postflight inspections on an MQ-9 Reaper aircraft at Keflavík Air Base, Iceland, in August.

A recent Congressional Research Service report reveals that the United States military has sustained damage or destruction to 81 aircraft during the war with Iran. The toll includes airplanes, helicopters, and drones, with the MQ-9 Reaper drone representing over half of the total losses.

The Pentagon's high-value assets were also impacted, including an F-35A fighter jet and an E-3 Sentry radar dome aircraft. Total costs for the lost aircraft range from $1.9 billion to $3.3 billion, according to Congressional Budget Office figures cited in the report, while the broader war cost has reached at least $45 billion as reported by sources to CNN.

Some damaged aircraft, such as eight F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jets that sustained light damage during an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan, in September, may have been returned to service. The report's findings stem from statements provided by the Defense Department, its inspector general, US Central Command, and reviewed news reports.

The report raises critical questions for lawmakers regarding transparency from the Pentagon on these losses, industrial capacity for repairs, and potential capability gaps in other theaters due to the depletion of high-demand platforms like the E-3 Sentry. Analysts emphasize that the MQ-9 drones have faced a particularly heavy toll, with 45 lost in the Middle East this year.