US Loses 16 MQ-9 Reaper Drones in War with Iran

Washington (ANTARA) - The United States military has lost 16 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the US and Israel launched a joint military attack against Iran on 28 February.

This was reported by CBS News on Wednesday (1/4), citing statements from two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Iranian state media reported on Monday (30/3) that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had “intercepted and destroyed” a US MQ-9 drone over Isfahan.

The MQ-9 Reaper is an unmanned aerial vehicle used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, but it can also be employed for precision strikes.

Depending on the variant of the Reaper drone, a single unit can be worth more than 30 million US dollars (1 US dollar = Rp16,999), according to the CBS News report.

US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have repeatedly claimed that Iran’s air defence and missile launch capabilities have been almost entirely crippled in the US-Israel attack that has been ongoing for a month.