By Bosphorus News Defense Desk
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) update dated October 5 puts U.S. military aircraft reported lost or damaged during operations against Iran at 81, nearly double the 42 counted in May.
The tally covers fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and uncrewed systems used since U.S. operations against Iran began on February 28. CRS drew on Defense Department and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) statements, Pentagon inspector general findings and news reports. It cautioned that the total could change because of classification, continuing operations and unresolved attribution. Some damaged aircraft may have been returned to active service.
The largest category is the MQ-9 Reaper. The update lists 45 MQ-9s reportedly lost, up from 24 in May. Reapers account for more than half of the 81 aircraft.
Twelve F-15Es, but not 12 destroyed
CRS lists 12 F-15E Strike Eagles as lost or damaged. Three were destroyed by friendly fire over Kuwait on March 2. A fourth was shot down over Iran in April.
Eight more were damaged during an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan in September. They were subsequently returned to service.
The F-15E total therefore combines permanent losses with repairable damage.
CRS also lists one F-35A Lightning II, two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, seven KC-135 Stratotankers, one E-3 Sentry, two MC-130J Commando IIs and one HH-60W Jolly Green II.
The remaining entries are one MQ-4C Triton, three MQ-1-series drones, one AH-64 Apache, four AH-6 Little Bird helicopters and one MH-60 Sea Hawk.
The 81 is not a count of aircraft destroyed by Iran. It includes combat losses, aircraft damaged in Iranian attacks, friendly-fire losses, accidents and aircraft deliberately destroyed by U.S. forces after they could not be recovered.
Two MC-130J special operations aircraft were destroyed by U.S. forces during the recovery of a downed F-15E after they became unable to leave Iran. Pentagon inspector general reporting also records four AH-6 helicopters destroyed by U.S. forces during rescue operations.
From 42 to 81
The May version counted 42 aircraft lost or damaged: 24 MQ-9s, four F-15Es, seven KC-135s, one F-35A, one A-10, one E-3, two MC-130Js, one HH-60W and one MQ-4C.
The difference does not mean 39 aircraft were necessarily lost after May. The October revision also draws on later Pentagon inspector general findings and incident reporting that became available after the earlier assessment.
A Lead Inspector General report released in September, covering Operation Epic Fury through June 30, added previously unavailable detail on U.S. equipment losses.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost of equipment losses as of August 1 at between $1.9 billion and $3.3 billion, depending on Pentagon replacement plans.
That estimate covers equipment losses overall, not the 81 aircraft alone.
CBO separately estimated Defense Department costs from the conflict at about $38 billion by August 1, including munitions, equipment, operations, flying hours and fuel.
Sources: Congressional Research Service, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Congressional Budget Office, U.S. Central Command, Bosphorus News review and reporting.