US Military Suffered Dozens of Aircraft Losses During Initial Months of Iran Conflict
Photo: Collected
A newly released Pentagon report has revealed that the United States military lost or sustained damage to at least 52 warplanes and drones across 11 different models during operations involving Iran between February 28 and June 30.
The findings, published on Monday by the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Department of Defense, detail extensive materiel losses spanning frontline fighter jets, attack aircraft, aerial refueling tankers, rescue helicopters, and advanced surveillance drones.
Among the fixed-wing losses were four two-seater F-15E strike aircraft, valued at 30 million dollars each. At least three of these air-to-air and air-to-ground combat jets were brought down by friendly fire in Kuwait on March 1, while a fourth was shot down by Iranian forces in April. All pilots from these incidents were successfully rescued by Washington.
The military also suffered damage to at least one highly advanced F-35A stealth multirole fighter, a radar-evading aircraft designed to penetrate heavily defended enemy airspace, which was damaged in Iranian attacks last March. Additionally, at least one A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, primarily used for close air support of ground troops, was shot down by Iranian fire.
Support and surveillance fleets sustained significant hits as well. At least seven KC-135 aerial refueling tankers—large aircraft critical for extending the flight range and endurance of combat jets—were destroyed or damaged. One crashed on March 12 during a refueling mission in Iraq, resulting in the deaths of all six crew members, while another five aircraft suffered ground damage during Iranian missile and drone strikes in Saudi Arabia. A seventh aircraft was also factored into the overall operational losses linked to the Iraq incident.
At Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, an E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft was damaged in an Iranian strike. The report also noted that at least one medium-utility helicopter, deployed for combat search and rescue missions, was damaged during Iranian attacks.
Unmanned aerial systems faced severe casualties, led by at least 30 MQ-9 Reaper armed drones, which are heavily relied upon for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and precision strikes. Furthermore, at least one high-altitude, long-endurance MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance drone, valued at 24 million dollars, crashed in April.
Rotorcraft losses included four AH-6 light attack and reconnaissance helicopters, which US forces deliberately destroyed themselves to prevent capture during a wartime search and rescue operation where recovery proved impossible. At least one twin-engine AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was shot down by Iranian forces near the Strait of Hormuz on June 8.
Naval aviation also recorded casualties, as at least one US Navy MH-60S helicopter crashed in the Arabian Sea on July 1. Three of the four crew members were rescued with injuries, while the fourth was listed as missing.
