Two weeks in, Iran strikes inflict nearly $4B in US military losses

ISTANBUL

The United States has lost approximately $3.84 billion in assets in the first two weeks of “Operation Epic Fury,” according to estimates and data compiled by Anadolu.

The largest items driving the cost are damaged and destroyed AN/TPY-2 radar components belonging to THAAD missile defense systems in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, valued at an estimated $2 billion. While the extent of the damage is unclear, satellite imagery analyzed by multiple outlets confirms that four AN/TPY-2 radars have been hit across these locations.

A US AN/FPS-132 early warning radar at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, valued at $1.1 billion, was struck by an Iranian missile when retaliatory attacks began on Feb. 28. Qatari authorities confirmed that the radar was damaged.

US officials speaking to CBS News have so far confirmed that 11 MQ-9 Reaper drones have been downed. At a unit cost of roughly $30 million, the total loss of the drones is about $330 million.

On the second day of strikes, three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were lost in a friendly-fire incident involving Kuwaiti air defenses. While all six aircrew survived, the aircraft were destroyed, with replacement costs estimated at $282 million.

A KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft crashed in western Iraq during an operation on Thursday, killing all six aircrew. The replacement cost of the plane, first adopted in the late 1950s, is $80 million, adjusted for inflation.

Iran also struck the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, destroying two satellite communications terminals and several large buildings.

Open-source intelligence reports have identified the targeted communication terminals as AN/GSC-52Bs, with an estimated cost of $20 million, factoring in deployment and installation.

In addition to the terminals lost in Bahrain, satellite imagery analyzed by The New York Times of Camp Arifjan in Kuwait showed three destroyed radomes, adding roughly $30 million in damage.

Combining these costs, the US has lost $3.84 billion worth of military assets in its ongoing conflict with Iran.