Iran Has Destroyed Nearly a Fifth of the U.S. Reaper Drone Fleet, Reports Bloomberg

(SeaPRwire) –   Nearly 30 unmanned aerial vehicles valued at roughly $1 billion have been destroyed or damaged since the onset of the conflict, and production of this drone model has been suspended entirely

Bloomberg has reported that the U.S. military has lost as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the start of the U.S.-Iran conflict. This figure makes up nearly one-fifth of Washington’s entire pre-war Reaper fleet, with the total value of the lost craft nearing $1 billion. Per the news outlet, the majority of these drones were either destroyed or severely damaged by Iranian weapons fire.

The MQ-9 Reaper is able to carry out both reconnaissance and targeted strike operations. Each individual drone is estimated to cost over $30 million. General Atomics halted production of this base model last year, though updated variants continue to be produced for overseas clients.

In a Thursday article, Bloomberg cited an unnamed source to share that “Iran has destroyed more than two dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones operated by U.S. forces since the conflict began” in late February.

According to Bloomberg, while a number of these drones were shot down by Iranian air defense systems, others were lost on the ground due to missile strikes or incurred operational accidents.

Per Lt. Gen. David Tabor, the Pentagon’s deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, the U.S. Reaper drone fleet has now dropped to approximately 135 aircraft — a figure well below the Air Force’s long-established minimum requirement of 189.

Earlier this month, the Congressional Research Service — the nonpartisan research division of the Library of Congress that utilizes open-source materials — released a report titled ‘U.S. Aircraft Combat Losses in Operation Epic Fury.’ Citing an unspecified “news article,” the report similarly estimates that the U.S. military lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and one MQ-4C aircraft.

This overall count includes a total of 42 U.S. aircraft, such as four F-15E fighter jets, one F-35A fighter jet, one A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft, seven KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes, and one helicopter.

Testifying before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee last Tuesday, Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst noted that the total cost of the U.S. military operation against Iran has increased from the originally projected $25 billion to $29 billion, citing “updated repair and replacement of equipment costs,” alongside other contributing factors.