The US military has lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the war with Iran began, potentially leaving the Pentagon with roughly three-quarters of the fleet it had before the conflict, according to a report by The Washington Post citing three officials familiar with the matter.
The reported losses include drones that were shot down as well as others that crashed. With no more than 145 Reapers now believed to remain in US defence stockpiles, the losses are raising concerns over the availability of a weapon that Air Force Chief of Staff General Kenneth Wilsbach previously described as the "most valuable player" of the Iran campaign.
Before the war began on February 28, the US military had about 185 MQ-9 Reapers. The Air Force operated 165 of them, while the Marine Corps had 20, according to the Post.
Each Reaper is estimated to cost between $30 million and $50 million, depending on its equipment and weapons. The reported losses therefore represent more than $1.3 billion in taxpayer-funded assets, the report said.
Not all of the drones were necessarily destroyed by Iranian forces. One official cited by the Post said an unspecified number crashed after losing contact with their operators.
Iran was reported to have shot down around 30 Reapers by early last month, ABC News said, citing an unidentified official.
The depletion of Reapers comes alongside the broader use of US weapons and munitions during the Iran conflict and years of American military assistance to Ukraine in its war against Russia. The reported losses are also emerging as an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps figure has threatened to keep the conflict going until Trump leaves office.
The Pentagon declined to comment when approached by The Independent. The White House, however, rejected claims that the military is facing shortages.
“The United States Military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump’s strategic goals and beyond, and Operation Epic Fury has exposed what happens when you mess with the United States,” spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a prepared statement.
The reported decline in the Reaper fleet follows earlier concerns raised by military officials. In May, Lieutenant General David Tabor, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, told a Senate subcommittee that around 135 Reapers remained in the Air Force fleet and said officials were "concerned" about the losses.
Tabor also said the Air Force was "looking at options to buy back as many of the MQ-9As as we possibly can right now," although reports did not specify where those aircraft could be sourced.
Wilsbach had earlier highlighted the role played by the drones during the conflict.
“For Epic Fury, perhaps the most valuable player was unmanned: the MQ-9,” he said.
Wilsbach said that because Reapers are operated remotely, "we get a lot of utility out of them, and don’t put our folks at risk."
The reported losses come at a difficult point for the programme, with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., the Reaper's manufacturer, having stopped production last year after the Air Force said it did not intend to purchase additional drones.