The United States has reportedly lost or damaged at least 81 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including drones, during US operations against Iran since February 28, according to an updated report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), as reported by various media channels.
The CRS states that its tally was compiled using news reports, US Defence Department statements, US Central Command (CENTCOM) statements and Defence Department Inspector General findings. It cautions that the figure can change because of classification issues, continuing combat activity and questions over attribution. Some damaged aircraft may also have returned to service.
The US and Israel began military operations against Iran on February 28 under the US designated "Operation Epic Fury" according to the CRS.
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The loss totals as much as $3.3 billion, including some of America's most advanced warplanes, including one damaged F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter and 12 F-15E Strike Eagle fighters that have been destroyed or damaged, Hindustan Times reported.
Three of the F-15 jets, which were worth more than $30 million each, were shot down in friendly fire over Kuwait on March 2. The following month, one more was shot down over Iran. Eight other F-15Es sustained minor damage during Iran's airstrikes on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, in Jordan, on September 9 and 10.
Full List of US Aircraft Lost or Damaged
According to the updated CRS tally, the 81 aircraft comprise 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, 12 F-15E Strike Eagles, seven KC-135 Stratotankers, two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, two MC-130J Commando IIs, one F-35A Lightning II, one E-3 Sentry, one HH-60W Jolly Green II, one MQ-4C Triton, three MQ-1 series drones, one AH-64 Apache, four AH-6 Little Birds and one MH-60 Seahawk.
The MQ-9 Reaper accounted for the largest share of the reported losses, with 45 aircraft listed as lost or damaged. The list also includes seven KC-135 Stratotankers, which are used for aerial refuelling. One KC-135 crashed in Iraq on March 12 during a refuelling mission, killing all six crew members while five others were damaged in an Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia according to CRS's earlier assessment.
Additionally, the US military also lost one E-3 Sentry airborne early warning-and-control system 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 long-endurance uncrewed aircraft, three MQ-1 multi-role uncrewed aircraft, and 45 MQ-9 Reaper multi-role uncrewed aircraft, NDTV reported.
E-3 Sentry surveillance plane - an ageing but essential platform that is based on the Boeing 707 airliner - costs $270 million each. The US had just 32 of them in operation as of 2015, according to the Air Force.
In combat, the US also lost one AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, four AH-6 Little Bird light attack helicopters and one MH-60 Sea Hawk maritime helicopter.
$3.3 Billion Aircraft Cost?
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated in September that replacing equipment losses incurred by August 1 could cost between $1.9 billion and $3.3 billion, depending on the Pentagon's plans for replacing the equipment.
The CBO's estimate therefore covers equipment losses more broadly and is not an aircraft-only valuation of the 81 aircraft listed by the CRS. The CBO separately estimated that the US Department of Defence had spent approximately $38 billion on the Iran conflict through August 1, 2026, according to its September 15 assessment.
The CBO stated that the costs included operational, logistical and sustainment expenses, while also assessing broader economic and budgetary effects of the conflict. The agency estimated that the conflict could continue costing the US around $2 billion to $3 billion per month.
The updates CRS assessment provides one of the most comprehensive publicly available accounts of the US aviation losses associated with Operation Epic Fury, while the agency continues to caution that the figures remain subject to revision.
The White House and the Pentagon have not commented on the reports yet.
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