The Congressional Research Service has compiled a tally showing 81 US aircraft were destroyed or damaged during operations against Iran, the report updated on October 5, 2026 says.
The count covers crewed airplanes, helicopters and drones, and researchers drew on Defense Department statements, the Pentagon inspector general, US Central Command and news reporting.
The MQ-9 Reaper accounted for more than half of the losses, the report says, and the list also includes high value platforms such as an F-35A and an E-3 Sentry airborne warning aircraft.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated replacing equipment lost through August 1 could cost between $1.9 billion and $3.3 billion, the CRS cited that estimate as saying.
CNN told readers the total cost of the Iran war is much higher, at least $45 billion, and that figure does not include damage to regional base infrastructure where some aircraft were hit.
Some damaged aircraft may have returned to service, CRS notes, including eight F-15 Strike Eagles that sustained light damage in an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
Implications And Operational Impact
The CRS highlights gaps in Pentagon reporting and poses questions for Congress about whether lawmakers are receiving sufficient information to assess effects and remedies.
The report asks whether funding should be provided for repairs or replacements, whether there is industrial capacity to meet demand, and how losses affect US military sales to partners, CRS says.
An earlier CRS update in May listed 42 aircraft and detailed specific incidents, including three F-15E Strike Eagles shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait on March 2, 2026, with all crew ejecting safely, the report says.
The May reporting also cited cases of aircraft struck on the ground, including multiple KC-135 tankers and an E-3 Sentry damaged at Prince Sultan Air Base, and two MC-130J special operations aircraft intentionally destroyed in Iran after being unable to depart.
Analysts and reports flagged heavy MQ-9 attrition, with the Atlantic Council saying 45 MQ-9s were lost in the Middle East this year and the Air Force chief of staff calling the drone the service’s most valuable player in the campaign.
The tally and attacks on parked aircraft have prompted broader posture changes, Reuters reported, including the Air Force removing B-1B Lancers from RAF Fairford on October 4, 2026 amid concerns about a suspected drone attack plot, a move Tehran denied involvement in.
