Two U.S. officials told ABC News that more than a dozen MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft have been lost in combat during operations targeting Iran. Officials said the losses occurred either when the drones were struck by Iranian missiles in flight or when they were destroyed on the ground by incoming fire.
The MQ-9 Reaper serves primarily as a reconnaissance platform but can also carry Hellfire missiles for precision strikes. Losing this many Reapers points to a significant deployment of the unmanned aircraft in the U.S. campaign.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the losses. The Air Force finalized a five-year purchasing contract for Reapers in 2020, and manufacturer General Atomics shut its production line last year after producing 575 aircraft. According to General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley, the final batch was priced at about $16 million apiece when procured in a group of four.
Photos released earlier show a U.S. Marine Corps MQ-9 Reaper taking off for unmanned aerial system tactics training at Laguna Army Airfield, Arizona, on Oct. 5, 2024 (photo by Sgt. Trent A. Henry/U.S. Marine Corps). The recent combat losses highlight both the operational role and the vulnerability of these remotely piloted systems in contested environments.