More than 20 US aircraft and helicopters, as well as over 30 large drones, were destroyed or damaged during the military operation against Iran, according to a Lead Inspector General report reviewed by Sputnik.

The report, prepared for Congress, covers the period from April 1 to June 30. The aviation losses are presented in a table within the document.

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  • The destroyed assets include four F-15E fighter jets, one A-10 attack aircraft, four AH-6 light helicopters, one AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, and one MH-60 Seahawk multi-mission helicopter.

  • Additionally 30 MQ-9 Reaper attack-reconnaissance drones and one MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drone were lost.

  • The document added that seven KC-135 aerial refueling tankers were damaged or destroyed.

  • The list of damaged assets also includes an F-35A fifth-generation fighter, an HH-60W search-and-rescue helicopter, and an E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft.

February 28, 2026 the USA and Israel began striking targets in Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes from the Iranian side.

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In mid-June, Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum to cease hostilities, though they subsequently exchanged strikes again. At present, the conflict remains unresolved.

The US war against Iran has already cost the Pentagon an estimated $38.1 billion through August 1, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report — and the bill is still rising. CBO says another month of fighting could cost $2–3 billion, depending on the intensity of operations.

The biggest bill has been ammunition. The US spent an estimated $21.7 billion replacing munitions already fired, including $13.1 billion in missile-defense interceptors used against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.

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The USA has probably used between one-half and two-thirds of its missile-defense interceptor inventory since June 2025, with the Iran war depleting those stocks further. Rebuilding them would probably take at least five years — even if production increased, according to the report.

Iran also inflicted major equipment losses. CBO puts battle losses at roughly $1.9 billion, including a $500 million THAAD radar, aircraft and drones.

The economic blowback is reaching Americans too: the conflict pushed up oil, gasoline and diesel prices and added to inflation, while higher energy costs are filtering through the wider economy.

Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2026.

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1 Comment
Donnchadh
Donnchadh
Member
September 23, 2026 16:45

Getting the Truth out of the USA/UK/EU is always a challenge its only years after an event that those countries admit their figures were wrong , in the UK,s case they NEVER admit to the general public that they LIED as we are called “The LITTLE People ” and not worthy to be told the truth.

Of course its pure arrogance but that’s how our government runs the UK /Scotland.