The United States military has lost or sustained damage to 81 aircraft in the war with Iran, as per the updated Congressional Research Service (CRS) report released this week.
The count has nearly doubled, as 42 aircraft were reported in May.
The October 5 revision lists fixed-wing planes, helicopters, and drones lost or damaged since Operation Epic Fury started on February 28, 2026. The MQ-9 Reaper drone accounts for more than half the losses, with 45 destroyed. As of May, the Air Force had 135 Reapers, down from 351 in 2022.
The losses also include prized assets like an F-35A fighter jet damaged by Iranian ground fire on March 19, and an E-3 Sentry airborne warning aircraft hit at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
The total cost is estimated to be around $1.9 million to $3.3 billion, depending on replacement plans. The overall war cost is even higher, with the CBO estimating about $38 billion through August 1.
The White House has requested $87.6 billion in emergency funding, which Congress has not approved.
As per the report, the deadliest incident is the March 12’s crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker in western Iraq, which killed all six crew. A Navy squadron commander, Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, was lost when an MH-60S Sea Hawk went down in the Arabian Sea on July 1.
2026-10-08 18:29:00
