PNN – Documents released to the US Congress and subsequent reports from CENTCOM have revealed new dimensions of the country’s military failure in operations against Iran.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, citing the US Congressional website, according to news reports and statements from the Department of Defense, as well as according to the announcement of the US Counterterrorism Command in West Asia (CENTCOM), 42 fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which were reportedly involved in the illegal US-Zionist aggression against Tehran, have been lost or damaged.
According to the report, the number of aircraft damaged or destroyed may still be subject to revision due to numerous factors, including intelligence classification, ongoing combat activity, and other factors.
The report adds:
– 24 MQ-9 Reaper medium-altitude, high-endurance drones. The US military has lost 24 MQ-9 Reapers since the start of military operations against Iran (illegal US-Zionist aggression against Tehran).
– 4 F-15E Strike Eagles; CENTCOM reported on March 2, 2026 that 3 F-15Es were shot down and destroyed by friendly fire over Kuwait; all 6 crew members successfully ejected and were rescued. On April 5, 2026, according to CENTCOM, an F-15E was also shot down and destroyed during combat operations (illegal aggression) over Iran.
– An F-35A Lightning II fighter jet was seriously damaged by Iranian anti-aircraft fire over Iran on March 19, 2026.
– An A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft was shot down and destroyed by Iranian fire.
– CENTCOM reported that seven KC-135 Stratotanker tankers were involved in accidents; on March 12, 2026, CENTCOM reported that two KC-135s had problems in an incident over friendly airspace, one of which crashed in Iraq, killing all six crew members, and the second KC-135 made an emergency landing in an undisclosed location in an area where U.S. forces are stationed. Five KC-135s were also damaged during an Iranian missile and drone attack while landing at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
– An E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft; On March 28, 2026, it was reported that an E-3 was hit and damaged while landing at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, during an Iranian missile and drone attack.
– Two MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft; On April 5, 2026, it was reported that two MC-130Js supporting search and rescue operations for a downed F-15E were destroyed in Iran after becoming unflyable.
– An HH-60W Jolly Green II combat search and rescue helicopter; General Kane announced in a press conference on April 6, 2026 that on April 5, one of the helicopters was damaged by small arms fire supporting the search and rescue operation for a downed F-15E in Iran.
– An MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle; On April 14, 2026, a US Navy document reported that an MQ-4C had crashed in an accident.