More than a dozen unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drones have been lost in combat as part of operations against Iran, two U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News. The Reapers were lost either to Iranian missiles or destroyed on the ground by incoming fire.
Reaper drones are used for reconnaissance and can also be armed with Hellfire missiles to strike targets. The loss of this number of Reapers indicates a substantial number of these unmanned aircraft were operating as part of the U.S. campaign.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the losses. The Air Force announced its final five-year purchasing contract for Reapers in 2020, and manufacturer General Atomics closed the production line last year after building 575 of them. The final lot cost about $16 million each when purchased in a batch of four, according to General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley.
A U.S. Marine Corps MQ-9 Reaper drone takes off for unmanned aerial system tactics training as part of Weapons and Tactics Instructor course 1-25 at Laguna Army Airfield, Arizona, Oct. 5, 2024. Sgt. Trent A. Henry/U.S. Marine Corps
