Iran war eating into America's drone arsenal? US has lost nearly 1 in 4 MQ-9 Reaper drones, claims report
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Iran war eating into America's drone arsenal? US has lost nearly 1 in 4 MQ-9 Reaper drones, claims report")
$1.3 billion gone? US loses 45 Reaper drones as Iran war strains arsenal Photograph: (AFP)
The US has reportedly lost dozens of its prized MQ-9 Reaper drones during the Iran war. The scale of the losses is now raising a bigger question about America's ability to sustain a long-running campaign. All you need to know.
The United States, as per reports, has lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones during its war with Iran, wiping out roughly a quarter of the military's fleet and raising fresh questions about how long Washington can sustain the campaign.
Three US officials familiar with the matter told The Washington Post that at least 45 Reapers have been lost since the conflict began. The drones are widely used for surveillance and targeted strikes and can cost between $30 million and $50 million each, depending on their equipment and weapons. That puts the potential cost of the losses at more than $1.3 billion for the Reaper fleet alone.
Drones caught in the Strait of Hormuz fight
The MQ-9s have been heavily deployed around the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway at the centre of the escalating confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
But the Reaper's design also makes it vulnerable. The remotely operated aircraft flies relatively slowly and often at low altitude, leaving it exposed to Iranian forces and allied groups in Yemen and Iraq.
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Notably, not all the drones were necessarily shot down. A fourth US official told the publication that some were lost after operators apparently lost their communications links with the aircraft, although the Pentagon has not disclosed how many.
Before the war, the US military had about 185 Reapers, including 165 operated by the Air Force and 20 by the Marine Corps. None of the Marine Corps drones have been lost, according to a spokesman. The Air Force had already reported a sharp decline in its inventory. In May, Lt Gen David Tabor told senators that the number of remaining Air Force Reapers had fallen to around 135 and said he was "concerned" about the losses.
Iran war adds to wider weapons strain
The drone losses are part of a much bigger problem for the Pentagon. During the first month of the Iran campaign, US forces fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors, according to earlier reporting by The Washington Post.
Those demands have come on top of years of US military support for Ukraine, putting additional pressure on already stretched weapons supplies.
The Trump administration is seeking $67 billion from Congress for an Iran war funding package, including money to replenish depleted stocks. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that the conflict could cost $37.5 billion through September alone.
