Published : 07 Oct 2026, 04:24 PM
Updated : 07 Oct 2026, 04:24 PM
A new Congressional Research Service report has listed 81 US fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including drones, as lost or damaged during US military operations against Iran since February.
The report, titled “US Aircraft Combat Losses in Operation Epic Fury: Considerations for Congress”, says the tally is based on news reports, statements from the US Department of Defense and US Central Command, and findings by the Defence Department’s inspector general, NDTV reports.
The list includes 12 F-15E aircraft, one F-35A Lightning II fighter, two A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft and seven KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft, the report said.
Three F-15Es were shot down in friendly fire over Kuwait on Mar 2, while another was shot down over Iran in April, according to the report. At least eight other F-15Es sustained damage during Iranian strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Sept 9 and 10.
The US military also lost or damaged one E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft, two MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft, one HH-60W Jolly Green II combat search-and-rescue helicopter, one MQ-4C Triton high-altitude uncrewed aircraft and three MQ-1 uncrewed aircraft.
The tally includes 45 MQ-9 Reaper multi-role uncrewed aircraft, along with one AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, four AH-6 Little Bird light attack helicopters and one MH-60 Seahawk maritime helicopter, said the Indian news outlet.
The CRS says the number may change because some information remains classified, combat operations are continuing and responsibility for some incidents remains difficult to establish. Some damaged aircraft may also return to service after repairs.
The cost of replacing lost equipment could reach $3.3 billion, according to a September estimate by the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO put the range at $1.9 billion to $3.3 billion, depending on the US Defence Department’s replacement plans. The figure covers equipment losses overall, rather than only aircraft.
The latest CRS tally is an increase from an earlier report in May, which listed 42 US aircraft lost or damaged during Operation Epic Fury. The increase does not necessarily mean all the additional aircraft were lost after that report, as the CRS accounting has been updated with new information.
