Iran destroys one-fifth of a US drone fleet worth $1 billion.

Since the conflict with Iran erupted, the U.S. military has lost up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), worth nearly $1 billion in total and representing almost one-fifth of its fleet.

The MQ-9 Reaper drone. Photo: US Air Force

According to Bloomberg, most of these UAVs were destroyed or severely damaged by Iranian fire. The MQ-9 Reaper is a UAV capable of both reconnaissance and attack missions. Each one is estimated to cost over $30 million. General Atomics ceased production of this model last year, although variants are still being produced for foreign customers.

According to Lieutenant General David Tabor, the Pentagon's Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning and Programs, the U.S. Reaper squadron has now shrunk to approximately 135 aircraft, significantly lower than the long-standing minimum of 189 set by the U.S. Air Force.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan research arm of the Library of Congress that works with open-source documents, released a report titled “U.S. Aircraft Losses in Operation Fierce Fury.” This document cites an unidentified article that also estimates the U.S. military lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs plus one MQ-4C.

The total number of American aircraft lost was 42, including 4 F-15E fighter jets, one F-35A fighter, one A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft, 7 KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft, and one helicopter.

Appearing before the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense earlier last week, Acting Pentagon Auditor Jules Hurst said the cost of the military campaign against Iran had risen from a previously projected $25 billion to $29 billion due to "updated equipment repair and replacement costs," among other factors.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/iran-xoa-so-1-5-phi-doi-uav-tri-gia-1-ty-usd-cua-my-2518957.html