A new Congressional Research Service report has revealed that the United States has had at least 81 US military aircraft lost or damaged since the war in Iran began. The loss totals as much as $3.3 billion, including some of America’s most advanced warplanes, including one damaged F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter and 12 F-15E Strike Eagle fighters that have been destroyed or damaged.
The following month, one more was shot down over Iran. Read More | How is Iran preparing Kharg Island for possible US invasion? Another was damaged during the September attack on Jordan.
Three of the F-15 jets, which were worth more than $30 million each, were shot down in friendly fire over Kuwait on March 2. Eight other F-15Es sustained minor damage during Iran’s airstrikes on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, in Jordan, on September 9 and 10. These are estimated to be worth between $30 to $50 million each. The losses prompted the fleet of the drones to drop to 135, an Air Force general told the Senate in May. Per the Air Force Times, the Air Force is meant to have at least 189 deployable Reaper drones at any time. There was also damage sustained by a fifth-generation F-34A, which is one of America’s most advanced warplanes, worth more than $92 million. It came under fire from Iran on March 19. The Congressional Research Service also stressed that there was the loss of one $270 million E-3 Sentry surveillance plane. The Airforce says that the US had 32 in operation as of 2015. Explained In April, the US lost an A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft. Here is the total list of US aircraft lost or damaged in the Iran war: US Central Command estimated last month that the total cost of the war in Iran rose to $43.6 billion, which is a $5 billion increase from August. Meanwhile, weapons costs increased by more than $6 billion in just over a month, from $21.7 billion listed in the latest Congressional Budget Office report to $28.1 billion in US Central Command’s estimate.
Because he doesn’t have ‘approval,’ triggers outrage: ‘Colossal failure’ One more huge loss came in the form of at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, read More | Trump says he won’t call Iran conflict ‘war’.
The report said that the damaged aircraft have been returned to service.
