Washington, DC [US], August 14 : The United States lost a minimum of 45 MQ-9 Reaper surveillance and attack drones during its conflict with Iran, representing nearly one-fourth of its operational fleet and potentially incurring a financial loss exceeding USD 1.3 billion for taxpayers, according to a report by The Washington Post, citing US officials.
Clarifying the losses, an official told the newspaper that not all aircraft were downed by hostile fire, as a number of them crashed following a breakdown in the communication link between the drone and its operators.
As per the report, the US possessed nearly 185 Reapers when the conflict commenced on February 28, with 165 units assigned to the Air Force and 20 to the Marine Corps. Notably, no losses were recorded among the Marine Corps fleet, which primarily operates across the Asia-Pacific region.
Engineered by General Atomics, the MQ-9 Reaper serves as a remotely piloted platform employed for reconnaissance and targeted strikes. Since its induction by the US armed forces in 2007, the unmanned aerial vehicle has seen widespread deployment in counterterrorism missions alongside operations in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The unit cost of an individual Reaper ranges from USD 30 million to USD 50 million, contingent upon installed hardware and armaments. International export bundles can cost significantly more when incorporating ground control networks, satellite linkages and munitions.
The Post reported that several Reapers were shot down while operating mainly over the Strait of Hormuz. US officials were reportedly surprised by the precision of the attacks.
The military equipment losses coincide with growing concern in Washington over depleted defence inventories. Over the past week, multiple American media outlets indicated that the nation has also exhausted its stockpile of precision, surface-to-surface missiles.
In response to the deficit, the Trump administration is attempting to secure congressional backing for a USD 67 billion war funding package, as authorities caution that restoring depleted stockpiles of ammunition, missile interceptors and unmanned aircraft could take years.
The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon declined to comment on the reported losses of Reaper drones.