Overview
- A Congressional Research Service report released May 13 compiles at least 42 U.S. aircraft reportedly lost or damaged during Operation Epic Fury, listing fighters, tankers, surveillance planes and 25 unmanned systems including 24 MQ-9 Reapers.
- Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules W. Hurst III told lawmakers on May 12 that operations linked to the Iran campaign have cost about $29 billion, with much of the increase tied to repair and replacement estimates for equipment.
- The documented losses reflect a mix of causes: enemy action, friendly fire and accidents, including three F-15E Strike Eagles shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait on March 2 and an F-15E downed on April 5 that triggered search‑and‑rescue actions which led to further aircraft damage; one tanker crash in March killed six crew.
- The CRS list was assembled from news reports and DoD/CENTCOM statements and warns totals may change because some incidents remain classified or under investigation; the Pentagon has not published a single comprehensive public combat‑loss assessment and some Iranian claims, such as an F‑35 kill, are not uniformly confirmed.
- Congress faces choices about supplemental funding, procurement and industrial‑base speedups to replace high‑value assets, and lawmakers are pressing for clearer timelines on inventories, munitions levels and how losses will affect U.S. regional readiness.