US Military Equipment Damage in War Against Iran
The Wall Street Journal reports that billions of dollars worth of US military equipment has been damaged or destroyed due to Iranian missile and drone attacks since the start of the conflict. According to Elaine McCusker, a former Pentagon budget official now at the American Enterprise Institute, losses during the first three weeks of the war are estimated between $1.4 billion and $2.9 billion.
Specific incidents include the downing of three F-15E fighter jets by a Kuwaiti aircraft on March 1, an emergency landing for an F-35 stealth jet after reportedly being targeted by Iran on March 16, and a mid-air collision over Iraq that killed six crew members. Five more KC-135 refuelling planes were damaged in an Iranian missile strike at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Over a dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones have also been lost, with several shot down by missiles or destroyed on the ground. Iranian strikes have caused damage to aircraft and radar systems at US bases in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan. A fire broke out on the USS Gerald R. Ford on March 12, currently undergoing repairs in Greece.
The Pentagon plans to replace damaged systems through a proposed $200 billion supplemental spending request. Regional tensions escalated after February 28 when the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran, resulting in over 1,900 deaths and injuries among US service members.