The United States has lost a significant share of its long-range munitions and air defense stockpiles in the war against Iran, according to a Washington Post report published Friday.
The report said losses and damage to MQ-9 Reaper drones alone have exceeded $1.3 billion, representing roughly 25 percent of the pre-war US drone fleet.
The findings contradict claims by President Donald Trump and his allies that Iran’s air defense systems have been completely destroyed, making clear that Tehran’s defenses remain operationally effective.
A Bloomberg report published in May had estimated drone losses at 20 percent of the pre-war stockpile. The Washington Post’s figures put the number somewhat higher.
Individual MQ-9 Reaper drones cost between $30 million and $50 million depending on their sensor, radar, and weapons configurations. According to the US Air Force, the unmanned aircraft serves as a high-altitude platform for surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strikes. It is capable of carrying Hellfire missiles and bombs.
The Reaper flies at relatively low altitudes and slow speeds, making it a comparatively easy target for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its regional allies in Yemen and Iraq.
The drone is frequently used near the Strait of Hormuz, where the US and Iran have engaged in recurring exchanges of fire. Trump has claimed he is maintaining a naval blockade equivalent to a “wall of steel” across the waterway.
The MQ-9 Reaper is among a growing list of US weapons systems depleted by the Iran war. The US has fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and over 1,000 Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors during the conflict.
The US has exhausted its stockpiles of advanced long-range munitions, according to the report.
The Trump administration has dismissed reports of ammunition shortages caused by the Iran war. However, during a cabinet meeting on August 6, Trump discussed Washington’s acute munitions crisis with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, telling him the shortage was one of the reasons his administration had temporarily paused strikes against Iran.
The Pentagon is phasing out the General Atomics-built Reaper in favor of cheaper armed surveillance drones capable of swarming targets.
To cover operational costs for “Operation Epic Fury” and replenish weapons supplies, the Trump administration has requested more than $67 billion in supplemental funding from Congress.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report