Statements by US officials and news in the media reveal the extent of damage to many aircraft belonging to US forces since the first attacks that started on February 28. These damages occurred in different countries in the Middle East and during various events such as combat losses, accidents and attacks. It is estimated that the total cost of warplanes, UAVs, refueling tankers and helicopters exceeds 2.8 billion dollars.
The “F-15E Strike Eagle” warplane, worth $65 million, flying over Iran was shot down by Iranian air defense on April 3. Both crew members on the plane left the plane safely and were rescued in a later operation. In the news reported by NBC News channel, based on US officials, it was stated that on the same day, the “A-10” attack aircraft worth 18.8 million dollars was lost in operations in the skies of Iran. It was stated that during the rescue efforts related to this incident, 2 “UH-60 Black Hawk” helicopters belonging to the USA, each worth 36 million dollars, were shot down.
In the news of ABC News channel, it was noted that 2 “MC-130J C-130” planes participating in the rescue mission were stranded in Iran during the operation and were destroyed by US forces after all personnel were evacuated. In the news, it was shared that 4 “MH-6 Little Bird” helicopters were destroyed in the same region to prevent them from being captured. In addition, the total cost of 2 “MC-130J C-130s” is 228.4 million dollars, and the total cost of 4 “MH-6 Little Birds” is 18 million dollars.
The losses in the shooting down of the first F-15E and the subsequent rescue operations are known as the “most serious aircraft losses of the USA” since the beginning of the war. The losses are reported from many places. Iranian state media published images on April 4, showing an attack on a base in Kuwait. The “CH-47 Chinook” helicopter, worth 48 million dollars, was said to have been destroyed in the UAV attack. In the news of NPR, it was reported that 2 “E-3 Sentry” planes worth a total of 1.4 billion dollars were damaged in the attack carried out by Iran on an air base in Saudi Arabia on March 27, in which many US soldiers were injured.
In the images posted on social media, it was shown that one of these planes was completely destroyed. The images published by the organization called “Iraqi Islamic Resistance” on March 23 showed UAV attacks targeting the US “AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel” radar and the “UH-60 Black Hawk” helicopter at a base in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. In Bloomberg’s news, it was stated that the losses of “MQ-9 Reaper” UAVs increased to at least 12 as of March 19.
It was reported that 9 of them were shot down by Iranian defense, one was shot down at an airport in Jordan, and 2 were lost in other accidents. On the other hand, information in open sources indicates that the total number of “MQ-9 Reaper” losses may be higher. It is estimated that the total value of these UAVs exceeds 380 million dollars. In CNN’s news on March 19, based on sources knowledgeable about the subject, it was stated that the “F-35” warplane, shot down by Iran during a combat mission over Iran, made an emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East.
This is considered to be “the first known combat damage suffered by the aircraft, worth $82.5 million.” In the news of the Wall Street Journal newspaper on March 14, based on US officials, it was shared that 5 “KC-135” refueling planes, each worth 39.6 million dollars, were damaged in Iran’s missile attack on an air base in Saudi Arabia. While an official said that the planes were not destroyed and were repaired, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) did not comment on the issue.
In a statement made on March 12, CENTCOM announced that “KC-135” crashed after an air accident involving 2 aircraft in the west of Iraq. Although it was stated in the statement that the incident did not occur as a result of “enemy” or “friendly” fire and that the 2nd aircraft landed safely, news and images in the US media revealed that the aircraft was damaged. The first known aircraft losses of the USA in the war were in Kuwait.
In the statement made by CENTCOM, it was stated that 1 plane crashed in the skies of Kuwait. It was stated that in March, 3 “F-15Es” were shot down by Kuwaiti air defense “accidentally” as a result of friendly fire, and the 6-person crew who left the plane safely was rescued, and this was recorded as “the first known US aircraft loss since the beginning of the war.” The total cost of 3 US “F-15E” planes that crashed in Kuwait and 1 that crashed in Iran reached 260 million dollars.
Source: AA
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