Now Reading: US Lost 45 Reaper Drones During Iran Conflict
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US Lost 45 Reaper Drones During Iran Conflict
The US military lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper surveillance and strike drones during the conflict with Iran, The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed officials. The losses equal roughly 25 per cent…
The Story in Brief
The US military lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper surveillance and strike drones during the conflict with Iran, The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed officials. The losses equal roughly 25 per cent of the fleet and could cost more than US$1.3 billion. Not all the drones were shot down. A US official told the newspaper that some crashed after communication link failures.
The US had about 185 Reapers before the conflict, including 165 Air Force and 20 Marine Corps aircraft. A Pentagon official said in May that roughly 135 remained and expressed concern over the losses. India signed an agreement in 2024 to buy 31 Reapers from the US, with deliveries expected to begin in 2029.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that the losses prove the Reaper is obsolete would go too far, just as dismissing them as routine attrition would. The reported figure includes crashes linked to communication failures, not merely battlefield shoot-downs. For India, the useful test is whether the US can restore its own fleet and improve secure links before deliveries begin in 2029. The eventual number of operational Indian drones will matter more than the headline figure.
Source: rediff.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
