Report tallies 81 US aircraft lost or damaged in Iran war

A Congressional Research Service report says at least 81 U.S. military aircraft, helicopters and drones have been lost or damaged during operations against Iran since February 28, including 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones. The October 5 assessment cautions that the total is provisional and combines aircraft destroyed with others that were repaired and returned to service. The report’s tally includes 12 F-15E Strike Eagle fighters. Four were destroyed: three in a friendly-fire incident over Kuwait and one during combat over Iran, according to the assessment. Eight more sustained light damage during an Iranian missile attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan in September and were returned to service. Other aircraft on the list include seven KC-135 refueling planes, two A-10 attack aircraft, two MC-130J special operations aircraft, one F-35A fighter and one E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft. The tally also includes helicopters and other unmanned aircraft, among them an MQ-4C Triton and three MQ-1-series drones. The 81-aircraft figure does not represent 81 permanent losses.