WASHINGTON, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 24th May, 2026) At least 42 U.S. military aircraft have been lost or damaged during the war on Iran, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.
The lost or damaged aircraft include fighter jets, helicopters and drones, the May 13 report on ‘Operation Epic Fury.’
Among the losses are four F-15E fighter jets, one F-35A fighter, one A-10 ground-attack aircraft, seven KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft, one E-3 airborne early warning-and-control system aircraft, two MC-130J special operations aircraft, one HH-60W combat search-and-rescue helicopter, 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and one MQ-4C Triton drone.
The Congressional Research Service said it gathered the information via news reports and statements by the Defence Department and U.S. Central Command (Centcom).
The research service said it remains unclear how the losses may affect the Defence Department’s “ability to meet current operational requirements, maintain global force posture, and respond to unforeseen contingencies.”
Pentagon and Centcom offered no comment.
The U.S.-Israel war in Iran is taking a mounting toll on America’s forces, which have seen hundreds of casualties, dwindling munitions stockpiles and numerous downed aircraft since the conflict began on Feb. 28. The Navy said last week it will face tough budget cuts this summer without emergency funding from Congress.
At least 15 U.S. service members have been killed in the fighting, while more than 500 have been injured since the U.
S.-Israeli war against Tehran started, according to the report . In addition, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was damaged in a laundry room fire, and American forces are quickly blowing through stocks of air defence and long-range munitions.
The US is in the midst of a tenuous ceasefire with Iran, which has been in place since April, but the cost of the war hovers around $29 billion.
“A lot of that increase comes from having a refined estimate on repair or replacement costs for equipment,” Jules Hurst, the Pentagon’s comptroller, revealed during a May 12 hearing before House lawmakers.
President Trump is currently seeking an off-ramp out of the war, but a peace deal remains elusive over disagreements between Washington and Tehran on Iran’s nuclear enrichment and control over the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan is mediating between the US and Iran in an effort to end the war.
As of this week, Iran reportedly wants an end to all hostilities against it and Hezbollaah in Lebanon, and it wants U.S. forces to withdraw from areas near Iran, reparations for damage caused by the U.S.-Israeli war, an end to sanctions and the release of frozen funds, and an end to the U.S. blockade on the country via the Strait of Hormuz.
But Trump and Iran for weeks have rejected peace proposals from the other side, with the president last week declining a request from Tehran to separate nuclear talks from peace discussions, calling it “totally unacceptable.”
