US MQ-9 Reaper losses

On 28 February 2026, Operation “Epic Fury” began, targeting the Iranian regime and its nuclear programme. From the very beginning of the American-Israeli strikes – conducted by Israel under the codename “Roaring Lion” – we have been tracking the balance of losses incurred by both Tehran and Washington.

A Drastic Decline in Losses

We have been closely monitoring the losses that the American CENTCOM (US Central Command) has incurred regarding MQ-9 Reaper drones. Just 20 days after the start of Operation “Epic Fury”, the United States recorded the loss of at least eleven such machines. By early May, when “Epic Fury” officially concluded, the total loss of “Reapers” was recorded at approximately 42 units. These losses were primarily caused by Iranian surface-to-air missiles (some machines also crashed after losing connection with their operators).

So, what is the current number of lost UAVs? According to the latest data reported on Thursday by “The Washington Post”, the Americans have lost as many as 45 Reapers. This means that after 5 May, when the American operation officially ended, the rate of loss for these drones dropped drastically.

Significant Losses, but...

The loss of such a number of MQ-9 Reapers represents a reduction of these UAV resources in the region by roughly one-quarter. The cost of losing over 40 machines (worth up to $50 million per unit) reaches nearly two billion dollars. For comparison, the entire Operation “Epic Fury” – according to data from the CSIS (Centre for Strategic and International Studies) think tank – cost approximately $40 billion.

Although these losses appear very high in absolute terms, it is worth noting that the loss of UAVs is somewhat inherent to their doctrine of use. This strategy “justifies itself” by eliminating the risk of human casualties on the American side. An additional tactical benefit of drone flights is forcing the adversary to reveal and deplete the potential of Iranian air defences.