US aircraft lost or damaged in Iran war nearly doubles in latest congressional report

An October 5 Congressional Research Service update raised the number of U.S. aircraft lost or damaged during operations against Iran to eighty-one, compared with forty-two in May. The revised accounting covers Operation Epic Fury since February 28 and includes forty-five MQ-9 drones, alongside crewed aircraft affected by combat, accidents and related recovery operations. It also records eight F-15s lightly damaged at a Jordanian base on September 8–9 that subsequently returned to service, plus an A-10 wing loss. The total therefore combines destroyed aircraft and repairable damage rather than representing eighty-one aircraft permanently removed from the force.