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Report: Iran wiped out nearly quarter of US high-tech Reaper fleet

Thursday, 13 August 2026 7:36 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 13 August 2026 7:36 PM ]

A MQ-9 Reaper. (File photo)

The United States has lost 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones since launching its war of aggression against Iran, with Iranian air defenses bringing down roughly a quarter of the US fleet and exposing the vulnerability of one of Washington’s key surveillance and strike platforms, according to a report.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that the losses could cost US taxpayers more than $1.3 billion, with each Reaper estimated to be worth between $30 million and $50 million, depending on its configuration.

When the war began on February 28, the US had approximately 185 Reapers, including 165 operated by the Air Force and 20 by the Marine Corps.

Iranian air defenses accounted for a substantial share of the losses, highlighting the difficulty faced by the US military in protecting its costly drones while operating over Iranian territory.

By March 11, US officials had acknowledged that Iran had shot down around 10 Reapers. The drones had been deployed extensively for surveillance and to identify and target Iranian missile launchers.

The losses continued to mount. More than two dozen Reapers had been destroyed by May, reducing the Air Force fleet to roughly 135 aircraft by May 12, according to US defense officials at the time.

On July 8, a US official confirmed that Iran had shot down around 30 MQ-9s since the beginning of the war, underscoring the scale of the losses well before the latest figure of 45.

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The attrition is particularly significant because the MQ-9 Reaper is a central component of US intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, as well as precision strikes. Its ability to operate without risking a pilot has made it a preferred platform for missions over heavily defended territory.

The mounting losses have also added to broader pressure on US weapons stocks during the war, including the depletion of costly precision-guided missiles.

Some US interceptors cost more than $1 million each, while Iranian drones and missiles have repeatedly put US air-defense systems under pressure across West Asia.

The US-Israeli aggression against Iran triggered sustained Iranian missile and drone strikes against US and Israeli assets across the region.

Iran also closed the Strait of Hormuz in response, while Washington and Tehran later signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 17 in an effort to end the war across all fronts.

Renewed US aggression in recent weeks, however, has prompted Iran to resume attacks against American assets and close the strategic waterway once again.

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