Congressional Report Reveals: 42 US Aircraft Compromised in Operation Epic Fury

A recent report from the Congressional Research Service, made public this month, documents the loss or damage of 42 U.S. aircraft during the 40-day Operation Epic Fury against Iran, which started on February 28. This report offers the most detailed public record of the conflict to date, ahead of an official review by the Pentagon.

Titled “U.S. Aircraft Combat Losses in Operation Epic Fury: Considerations for Congress,” the report from May 13 utilizes various sources including news articles and official statements from the Defense Department and U.S. Central Command to establish its findings.

The CRS, serving as the nonpartisan research division of the Library of Congress, relies on publicly available information and does not have access to any classified damage assessments.

The authors from the CRS caution that their findings might be updated due to several factors such as classified data, continuing military operations, and issues related to the attribution of incidents.

The initial losses occurred on March 1-2, when a Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Hornet accidentally shot down three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles over Kuwait. All six crew members ejected safely and were later rescued. This incident happened amidst ongoing combat that included Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drone attacks, as reported by CENTCOM.

Another F-15E was lost over Iran on April 3, with both crew members successfully rescued through separate operations.

On March 12, a KC-135 Stratotanker crashed over western Iraq during a refueling mission, resulting in the deaths of all six crew members. According to CENTCOM, this incident was not caused by hostile or friendly fire. Another KC-135 involved in the same mission safely landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.

Two days later, Iranian missiles and drones targeted Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, damaging five more KC-135s on the ground, bringing the total tanker losses to seven.

An F-35A Lightning II survived Iranian ground fire over Iran on March 19 and managed to return to its base.

Further strikes on March 27 at Prince Sultan Air Base resulted in damage to an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft, which according to a May 7 Washington Post report cited by CRS, had been parked on an unprotected taxiway.

On April 3, an A-10 Thunderbolt II was shot down during a search-and-rescue mission; the pilot ejected and was subsequently rescued.

In a significant operation on April 5, U.S. forces destroyed two MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft on the ground in Iran after they were unable to depart a forward airstrip during a broader rescue mission for a downed F-15E weapon systems officer. All aircrew were evacuated safely, and an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter also came under small-arms fire during the same mission.

Drones suffered the greatest losses, with 25 of the 42 total losses being unmanned aerial vehicles, including 24 MQ-9 Reapers and one MQ-4C Triton, which was reported lost on April 14.

On May 20, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach praised the MQ-9 Reaper’s performance during the campaign while addressing the House Armed Services Committee, labeling it as the “most valuable player” despite its losses.

Significant Discrepancies and Exclusions

Several sources have contradicted the report’s claim that the E-3 was merely damaged, indicating that it was actually destroyed. Images published shortly after the March 27 attack show significant damage to the aircraft, leading some to consider it a total loss. Before the conflict, the Air Force had 16 E-3s, with six stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base.

The count of HH-60W aircraft losses might also be underestimated. During an April 6 press conference, Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Dan Caine mentioned two helicopters receiving fire in a rescue operation, with one crew member sustaining minor injuries, suggesting both aircraft were damaged.

Additionally, the CRS report does not mention any AH/MH-6 Little Birds. Reports from early April, including from The War Zone, indicated that two to four of these helicopters, operated by the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, were intentionally destroyed at the same Iranian airstrip as the MC-130Js. Photos analyzed by open-source intelligence confirmed the presence of the destroyed helicopters next to the C-130 wreckage. The absence of an official statement from the DoD or CENTCOM might explain their omission from the CRS list.

Ongoing Financial Burden of the Conflict

The acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst reported to the House Appropriations defense subcommittee on May 12 that the financial toll of operations in Iran had escalated to $29 billion, an increase from the previously stated $25 billion as of April 29.

Hurst attributed the rise in costs to the updated expenses for repairing and replacing equipment, as well as the ongoing costs of maintaining personnel in the region.

This estimate does not account for the expenses related to the repair of damaged air bases and other U.S. facilities in the area.