Report: US military lost about a quarter of its MQ-9 Reaper drones in the war with Iran
The drones were used extensively in the Strait of Hormuz area. The cost of a single unit reaches tens of millions of dollars, and the total damage exceeds $1.3 billion. Due to their low speed and altitude, these drones have become relatively easy targets.
The Washington Post reported this evening (Thursday) that the US military has lost about a quarter of its MQ-9 Reaper drones during the war with Iran, and the stockpile is dwindling. The drones, which can cost up to $50 million per unit, were used extensively in the Strait of Hormuz area, but due to their low speed and altitude, they have become relatively easy targets for Iran.
The US military has lost at least 45 such drones during the war with Iran, approximately 25% of its fleet. These vehicles are used for intelligence, surveillance, and targeted strike missions. With individual prices ranging from $30 million to $50 million, the total potential cost of the damage amounts to more than $1.3 billion.
According to previous reports, dozens of such drones were lost even earlier, during strikes in Yemen. Furthermore, in the first month of the campaign against Iran, US forces launched more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and over 1,000 Patriot and THAAD system missiles, thereby significantly depleting stocks of one of the main long-range strike assets and the most sought-after air defense systems in the US military, as previously reported by The Washington Post.
Last week, The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump clashed with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth regarding the state of US military stockpiles. The confrontation took place on July 31, on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting at Camp David, the presidential residence in Maryland.
Before the start of the conflict, the US military fleet had about 185 Reaper drones—165 in the Air Force and 20 in the Marine Corps—according to public budget data and military branch records. This figure does not include Reaper drones operated by US intelligence agencies.
