A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report says at least 42 US aircraft were damaged or destroyed during Operation Epic Fury, the campaign launched on February 28 against Iranian targets. The CRS cautioned the total may change as information is refined, classified details emerge, combat continues and attribution is clarified.
The losses listed by the CRS, compiled from news reports and Department of Defense and US Central Command statements, include: four F-15E Strike Eagles, one F-35A Lightning II, one A-10 Thunderbolt II, seven KC-135 Stratotankers, one E-3 Sentry AWACS, two MC-130J Commando IIs, one HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter, 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and one MQ-4C Triton drone.
The CRS provides analytic support to Congress and noted its tally is based on open-source reporting and official statements, not a single centralized inventory. Because some losses are classified or remain under investigation, the number of damaged or destroyed aircraft could be revised.
At a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on May 12, Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules W. Hurst III said the Pentagon’s cost estimate for military operations related to Iran has risen to about $29 billion. He attributed much of the increase to refined estimates of repair and replacement costs for equipment damaged or lost in the campaign.
The CRS report and related testimony underscore the operational and financial impact of the campaign, while officials continue to assess the full scope of matériel losses and their long-term implications for readiness and budgeting.
