- 28 Feb–2 Apr 2026: Heavy USAF sortie rate in support of Operation Epic Fury, with some attrition
- Losses/damage reported: 3× F-15E, 8× KC-135, 2× E-3D, (possible) 1× F-35, and 16× MQ-9
- Impact/cost: Tankers and F-15s replaceable; E-3 losses more significant; total damage estimated >$3bn
Since the outbreak of combat operations by the US and Israel on Iran in late-February, hundreds of US Air Force (USAF) aircraft have conducted air strikes, surveillance, and support flights in aid of the ongoing campaign.
According to US CENTCOM, as of 1 April, more than 12,000 combat flights directly supporting Operation Epic Fury have been conducted.
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While Iran’s losses have been significant, with most of its air defence and fixed-wing air combat capability destroyed, the USAF has also sustained its own attrition of airframes, accompanied in some cases with loss of personnel.
Airforce Technology charts the ongoing USAF airframe losses in the war and examines the service’s overall fleet inventory to determine the potential long-term impact. For the purposes of this report, aircraft damaged to the point of probable combat ineffectiveness are also included.
The list includes operations in support of Operation Epic Fury, covering incidents in the Wider Middle East (Iraq and the GCC). All figures are reflective of combat operations from 28 February – 2 April 2026.
US losses in Iran war: crewed
3 x F-15 Strike Eagle: In one of the most dramatic episodes of the war, three USAF F-15 multirole fighters were shot down by Kuwaiti air defence systems in an apparent friendly-fire incident. It is possible the cluttered air picture at the time, filled with slow and fast-moving aircraft operating at different altitudes, contributed to the confusion. All crews survived.
8 x KC-135: A purported mid-air collision during airborne refuelling operations in support of Operation Epic Fury saw an FC-135 tanker aircraft crash with the loss of six personnel, while another KC-135 subsequently landed showing visible signs of damage. A further six KC-135s have been damaged during Iranian strikes on airbases in Saudi Arabia.
2 x E-3D Sentry AWACS: Ongoing Iranian strikes against staging airbases in Saudi Arabia have definitely destroyed one USAF E-3D Sentry airborne early warning aircraft, with another thought to have been damaged.
(Possible) 1 x F-35: International media reports stated in mid-March that a USAF F-35 stealth fighter sustained damage during combat operations over Iran. The aircraft returned to base.
US losses in Iran war: uncrewed
16 x MQ-9 Reaper: The Iran war has seen the massed use of drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper in strike and surveillance operations, with the type sustaining significant losses of at least 16 aircraft since the outbreak of hostilities, according to reports.
However, such airframes are likely placed in areas of much higher risk due to the lack of an onboard human operator, and as such, coupled with their subsonic flight and inability to perform evasive maneouvres, has seen a higher number lost compared to crewed aircraft.
US-Iran war losses: analysis
According to data provided by business intelligence and analytics firm GlobalData, the US operates large fleets of all of the abovementioned aircraft types. Comprehensive numbers have not been disclosed in this article, with exact fleet inventory details available in GlobalData’s intelligence centres.
Of the most numerous of the crewed aircraft lost and/or damaged, the KC-135, the USAF maintains a fleet in excess of 300 units. As such, while KC-135 losses/damages are notable, they are replaceable.
However, the destruction of one E-3D Sentry, with another damaged, represent a much higher percentage of the USAF’s AWACs fleet, roughly three times the proportional fleet size compared to the KC-135.
Regarding fixed-wing combat air, the three F-15 Strike Eagles lost are replaceable, with the type currently still being manufactured for the USAF by defence prime Boeing to the latest F-15EX specification.
The purported damaging of an F-35 will have had a negligible impact on USAF operations – which maintains around 500 units – although more concern will have been raised at the prospect of an advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter falling into the wrong hands should it have been lost over Iran.
The US and UK have previously gone to significant measures to recover F-35s lost during non-combat flights around the world, with countries such as Russia and China, not to mention Iran itself, keen to learn more about the stealth capabilities of the advanced platform.
Finally, regarding uncrewed systems, the ~16 MQ-9 Reapers lost so far represent around 6% of the available fleet, across Block I to Block 5.
The total costs of USAF losses and aircraft damaged in the Iran war are difficult to determine, although estimates point to a figure in excess of $3bn.
