Bloomberg: America loses $1 billion worth of MQ-9 drones since the start of the war on Iran
Exclusive Follow-ups – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:
The American agency “Bloomberg” revealed on Thursday that the United States has lost between 24 and 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the start of the war on Iran on February 28, with financial losses estimated at approximately $1 billion, at a time when the fleet of these aircraft has fallen below the required operational minimum.
Reports indicate that the number of destroyed Reaper drones is “higher than previous estimates.”
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report issued on May 12 had documented the destruction of 24 aircraft, but the actual number “may reach more than 30, including those damaged and subsequently withdrawn from service.”
The value of a single aircraft is estimated at about $30 million, bringing the total losses to approximately $1 billion.
This revelation comes a week after Pentagon officials warned during a Senate hearing on May 12 that the MQ-9 Reaper fleet had declined to only about 135 aircraft, which is “far below the required operational minimum of 189 aircraft.”
The shortfall of 54 aircraft represents a genuine crisis for the US Air Force, especially as the production line for these aircraft has stopped, and there are not enough spare parts to assemble more than 10 new aircraft.
The losses of Reaper drones add to the escalating war bill, which has consumed thousands of advanced munitions, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and JASSM-ER missiles.
The Pentagon had estimated the total cost of military operations in Iran at about $29 billion as of May 12, but American officials familiar with internal assessments told CBS News that “the real price of the operation so far is approaching $50 billion.”
The Congressional Research Service report estimates that the total cost of aircraft losses and replacement programs may eventually exceed $7 billion.