Defense

U.S. Loses at Least 45 Reaper Drones in Iran War, Report Says

Published

Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of a gray MQ-9 Reaper drone displayed indoors in front of a large United States flag and a camouflage-textured wall.

A new report says the U.S. military has lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones during the Iran war, about a quarter of its prewar fleet. A U.S. official said not all were shot down; some crashed after losing communications links with their operators. The report did not divide the losses among Iran and Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Yemen, all of which can down Reapers. Before the war, the military operated about 185 Reapers, including 165 Air Force and 20 Marine Corps aircraft; no Marine Corps Reapers were reported lost.

Sources

Secondary sources:1

Related stories

  1. USS Abraham Lincoln Sailors Reportedly Tried to Go Overboard During Iran Deployment
  2. Poll Finds Two-Thirds of Americans Say Iran War Was Not Worth Fighting
  3. U.S. Troops Wounded in Iran Conflict Rise by 32 to 268
  4. Pentagon Says Iran Casualties Shifted Because Operation Epic Fury Ended
  5. Pentagon Splits Iran-War Casualty Toll Into Two Database Categories

Something went wrong

We couldn't complete that action. Check your connection and try again.