American forces have lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones in the ongoing war against Iran, The Washington Post reported, citing officials familiar with the matter. The losses account for about 25% of the US fleet available for operations.
The Reaper is used to conduct surveillance and targeted strikes against the enemy and can cost somewhere between $30 million and $50 million, depending on the type of sensors and weapons it carries. According to The Washington Post, the loss of these drones could potentially cost taxpayers $1.3 billion.
The drones were seen being heavily used over the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway blocked since the start of the Iran war. Meanwhile, a fourth US official, who also asked to remain anonymous, said that not all of the lost Reapers were shot down. An unspecified number crashed after their operators’ communications link to the drones failed. With this, the Reaper joined the growing list of US weapons and munitions that have been drained by the war in Iran.
According to The Washington Post, in the first month of the Iran campaign, US forces fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 1,000 Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missiles, significantly cutting into stockpiles of a key long-range strike capability and the military’s most in-demand air-defence systems.
