Eighty-one aircraft in the US military have been destroyed or damaged during the war with Iran, a Congressional Research Service report released this week said.
Among the aircraft lost are some of the most advanced weapons in the US arsenal, including the F-35A fighter jet and the E-3 Sentry, which has four jet engines and a radar dome on its fuselage used to track targets and manage airspace during engagements.
MQ-9 Reaper drones accounted for more than half of the losses found in the report. Reaper drones are used in the Iran war for gathering intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
The total cost of the aircraft lost since February is between $1.9 billion and $3.3 billion, according to the report, which cited figures from the Congressional Budget Office.
US Central Command estimated that the ongoing war with Iran has cost the US roughly $44 billion total in September. However, that number does not include damage to infrastructure at US bases in the Middle East, according to reporting from the Washington Post.
US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones are seen parked and serviced at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base in Ceiba Saturday, 30th May 2026 (credit: REUTERS/RICARDO ARDUENGO)
CNN reported that some of the aircraft may have returned to service after being damaged, including eight F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jets after they were damaged during an Iranian strike on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on the night of September 8.
The report examined statements and figures from the Department of Defense; its inspector general; CENTCOM; and external media reports reviewed by the CRS.
Senators accuse Pentagon of withholding information
Bipartisan criticism of the Pentagon has mounted over defense officials’ unwillingness to be transparent with Congress about the cost of the Iran war and the Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy.
Following a meeting with Defense Undersecretary Elbridge Colby and the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jacky Rose of Nevada said Colby “was not forthcoming” and “did not really address our concerns or issues.”
In a separate instance this week, US Senator Chris Murphy said on Tuesday that the US Defense Department denied him access to a key military base in Qatar during a visit to the Middle East. He described it as part of a US government effort to conceal the impact of the Iran war.
“This trip confirmed for me that there is an active, unprecedented, unconstitutional effort underway to hide the costs of this war and the implications of this war from Congress and the American people,” Murphy told a group of journalists in Riyadh, the second stop on his trip.
Analysts cited by CNN said actions in the Middle East, including the Iran war and conflicts with Iran’s proxies, have taken a toll on the MQ-9 Reaper drones. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach told Congress that the MQ-9 was the “most valuable player” in the war with Iran
The US military is believed to have roughly 135 MQ-9 drones in its arsenal, the Air Force Times reported in May, 2026.
The military lost 45 of the drones in the Middle East this year alone, in what the Atlantic Council describes as losses at an “alarming rate.”
The US military has not experienced loss of aircraft at such a rate since Operation Desert Storm in 1991.