Iran destroyed 20 percent of US's MQ-9 Reaper drone fleet: Report
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- The bulk of them were destroyed or seriously damaged by Iranian fire, according to the outlet.
- In an article on Thursday, Bloomberg, citing an anonymous source, reported that “Iran has destroyed more than two dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones operated by US forces since the war began” in late February.
- While many of the drones were downed by Iranian air defenses, others were lost on the ground as a result of missile strikes, as well as in accidents, according to Bloomberg.
- The US fleet of Reapers has now fallen to roughly 135 aircraft, considerably below the Air Force’s long-standing minimum floor of 189, according to Lt.
- The report said that many of the drones were downed by Iran in flight, but that others had been destroyed on the ground when Iran targeted US military bases in the Gulf.
- Bloomberg reported that the US may have lost up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones in the war, a higher number than the 24 that a report released this month by the Congressional Research Service noted.
- The $1bn price tag adds to the cost of the war on Iran, which a senior official at the Pentagon told Reuters in May reached up to $29bn.
- The MQ-9 Reaper drone is being gradually phased out by the US military, although General Atomics continues to produce it for foreign customers.
Iran has reportedly destroyed approximately 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, which constitutes about 20 percent of the US's pre-war fleet, valued at nearly $1 billion. This significant loss comes amid the ongoing conflict that began in late February 2026, following the US and Israel's coordinated military strikes against Iran.
The drones were primarily lost due to Iranian air defenses, with some destroyed on the ground during missile strikes targeting US military bases in the Gulf. The US military's current fleet of MQ-9 Reapers has dwindled to around 135 aircraft, falling short of the Air Force's minimum operational requirement of 189.
The Pentagon has also reported that the overall financial burden of the conflict for the US has escalated to approximately $29 billion. While the US military is gradually phasing out the MQ-9 Reaper, General Atomics continues to produce the drone for foreign clients.
Both the US and Iran remain engaged in this conflict, with each side attributing losses to the other's military actions.
Left- and right-leaning outlets are covering this story differently — in which facts to emphasize, which context to include, and how to frame causes and consequences.