{"id":35932,"date":"2026-05-23T10:54:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=35932"},"modified":"2026-05-23T10:54:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:54:30","slug":"us-military-lost-at-least-42-aircraft-since-start-of-iran-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/us-military-lost-at-least-42-aircraft-since-start-of-iran-war\/","title":{"rendered":"US military lost at least 42 aircraft since start of Iran war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 42 U.S. military aircraft have been lost or damaged beyond repair since the start of Operation Epic Fury, the American-led military campaign against Iran that began on February 28, 2026, according to a new report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report is, so far, the most detailed public accounting of the air losses suffered during the 40-day conflict. It was compiled using open-source reporting, Pentagon statements, and information released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRS researchers cautioned that the figures could still change due to classification issues, ongoing military activity, and incomplete battlefield assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the earliest incidents occurred between March 1 and March 2, when three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti Air Force F\/A-18 Hornets over Kuwait during intense combat operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CENTCOM said the area was under attack from Iranian aircraft, drones, and ballistic missiles at the time. All six American crew members successfully ejected and were rescued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another F-15E was later shot down over Iran on April 3. Both crew members were recovered in separate rescue missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conflict also saw the loss of a KC-135 Stratotanker over western Iraq on March 12 during a refueling mission. All six crew members aboard were killed, making them the only confirmed fatalities included in the CRS report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CENTCOM stated the crash was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire. Another tanker involved in the incident managed to land safely in Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, reports later suggested investigators were examining whether the crew had attempted evasive maneuvers due to concerns about anti-aircraft threats in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"An<\/a>
An F\/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft lands on the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford in support of Operation Epic Fury in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, on March 2, 2026. (Image Credit: U.S. Navy)<\/sup><\/em>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n


Tankers and Surveillance Aircraft<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian missile and drone attacks also targeted U.S. air bases across the region. On March 14, strikes on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia damaged five KC-135 refueling aircraft parked on the ground. This brought the total tanker losses and damage during the conflict to seven aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later in the month, another Iranian strike damaged an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft at the same base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images published after the attack showed severe fire damage to the aircraft, leading several defense publications to describe it as a total loss. Before the war, the U.S. Air Force operated only 16 E-3 aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report noted the E-3 had reportedly been parked on an exposed taxiway without hardened protection. An F-35A Lightning II fighter jet also sustained damage from Iranian ground fire on March 19 but managed to return safely to base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Damages During Search and Rescue Missions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several aircraft losses occurred during dangerous rescue operations launched after the April 3 downing of the F-15E over Iran. An A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft was shot down during one rescue mission. The pilot ejected safely and was recovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft were later intentionally destroyed by U.S. forces on the ground in Iran after they became unable to depart from a forward airstrip during the rescue effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopter also took small-arms fire during the mission. Reports indicate additional helicopters from the Army\u2019s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment may also have been destroyed during the same operation, although they were not included in the CRS tally due to the absence of official Pentagon confirmation.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"U.S.<\/a>
U.S. aircraft losses and damage during Operation Epic Fury. (Image Credit: IRIA)<\/sup><\/em>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n


Drones Account for Majority of Losses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unmanned aircraft accounted for the largest share of losses during the conflict. According to the CRS report, the U.S. military lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and one MQ-4C Triton drone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MQ-9 Reaper has been heavily used throughout the campaign for surveillance and strike missions. Each drone costs roughly USD 30 million and can carry multiple Hellfire missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the losses, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach described the MQ-9 as one of the war\u2019s most effective platforms during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on May 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPerhaps maybe the most valuable player was unmanned,\u201d Wilsbach said, adding that \u201cNo other platform is even close to the MQ-9.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Operation Cost Rises to $29 Billion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The financial cost of Operation Epic Fury continues to rise as lawmakers demand more oversight and accountability from the Pentagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst told lawmakers on May 12 that the estimated cost of military operations against Iran had increased to USD 29 billion, up from the earlier USD 25 billion estimate provided in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurst said the increase was driven by updated repair and replacement costs for damaged equipment, as well as ongoing operational expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"F-15E<\/a>
Flares are released from an F-15E Strike Eagle during a local training mission over North Carolina, U.S. (Image Credit: U.S. Air Force\/Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cSo, at the time of testimony from the ask, it was $25 billion, but the joint staff team and the comptroller team are constantly looking at that estimate, and so now we think it\u2019s closer to $29 billion,\u201d Hurst told Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The figure does not include damage sustained by American military bases and infrastructure across the Middle East during Iranian retaliatory strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Questions Grow Over Strategy and Readiness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scale of losses has raised concerns in Congress about the long-term impact of the conflict on U.S. military readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CRS report said it remains unclear how the aircraft losses could affect the Pentagon\u2019s ability to maintain global operations and respond to future crises. The broader conflict has also strained U.S. military resources, with reports of declining munition stockpiles and mounting maintenance demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 15 U.S. service members have reportedly been killed and more than 500 injured since the conflict began, while multiple American bases and naval assets have also suffered damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although a fragile ceasefire has remained in place since April, negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran has reportedly demanded an end to sanctions, withdrawal of U.S. forces near its borders, reparations for war damage, and the lifting of restrictions linked to the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trump administration has so far rejected several Iranian proposals, while Tehran has also dismissed American conditions tied to nuclear negotiations and regional security arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Joint<\/a>
An MQ-9 Reaper, assigned to the 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, armed with four GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, parks on a flightline before a mission on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, on February 22, 2018. (Image Credit: U.S. Air Force\/Tech. Sgt. Paul Labbe)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At least 42 U.S. military aircraft have been lost or damaged beyond repair since the start of Operation Epic Fury, the American-led military campaign against Iran that began on February 28, 2026, according to a new report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1,125],"tags":[256,677,216,6,43,397,439,286,30,356,5,724,692,113,7],"class_list":["post-35932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-united-states","tag-aircraft","tag-centcom","tag-crash","tag-defense","tag-drone","tag-f-15","tag-f-a-18","tag-fighter-jet","tag-iran","tag-middle-east","tag-military","tag-mq-4c","tag-mq-9","tag-security","tag-u-s"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/US-aircraft-destroyed-in-Iran.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-9ly","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35932"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35936,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35932\/revisions\/35936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}