US has lost roughly 25 percent of its Reaper drones in Iran war: Report

The US has lost approximately 25 percent of its MQ-9 Reaper drones in the ongoing war with Iran, according to a report by The Washington Post. This depletion represents roughly $1.3 billion in losses and translates to half of the US's pre-war fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles. The report highlights Iran's continued operational air defenses, despite claims by the US that they have been completely neutralized.

The MQ-9 Reaper, valued between $30 million and $50 million per drone, is a high-altitude platform for surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeted precision strikes. It is particularly vulnerable near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway contested by the US and Iran. The Pentagon is depleting its stockpile of long-range precision missiles and preparing to replace the Reaper with cheaper armed surveillance drones.

The US has also exhausted its stockpile of sophisticated standoff munitions, having fired over 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 1,000 Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missiles. Despite these losses, the Trump administration has requested over $67 billion in supplementary funding to address operational costs and replenish weapons supplies.