Iran has destroyed about 20 percent of the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of MQ-9 Reaper drones in the ongoing conflict, dealing a major blow to one of America’s signature unmanned weapons systems. Middle East Eye confirmed the figures, citing a recent Bloomberg report.
The report said Iran has destroyed roughly $1 billion worth of MQ-9 Reaper drones so far, about one-fifth of the U.S. inventory before the war. Some were shot down in flight. Others were destroyed on the ground at U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf during Iranian missile and drone strikes.
The MQ-9 Reaper is a high-end surveillance drone capable of carrying Hellfire missiles and guided bombs and conducting precision strikes. Bloomberg reported the U.S. has lost about 30 Reapers in the current war, exceeding the figure of 24 given by the U.S. Congressional Research Service earlier this month. The losses have driven up the overall cost of the war against Iran.
A senior Pentagon official told Reuters in May that the cost of the war against Iran has already reached about $29 billion. The New York Times has suggested Russia may be providing direct assistance behind the pattern of strikes, supplying Iran with satellite imagery of U.S. warships and troop movements as part of a long-term security agreement. Iran is using a mix of its domestically produced systems alongside Russian and Chinese air defense systems.
In April, just days before a fragile ceasefire was reached, Iran shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, leaving Washington facing a dramatic escalation.
Earlier, in June 2025, the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, triggering a full-scale war between the two countries. According to an earlier Middle East Eye report, China supplied Iran with advanced surface-to-air missile batteries after that war began. Strengthened by strategic support from Beijing and Moscow, Iran’s defense system has become a major headache for the U.S. Air Force.
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