The American forces have seen multiple aircraft damaged in the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, including fighter jets, drones, refueling tankers and helicopters, in incidents ranging from combat losses to accidents and strikes across the region, according to US authorities and media reports.
An F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down by Iranian air defenses over Iran on Friday, with both crew ejecting safely and later recovered in separate rescue operations.
The same day, an A-10 attack aircraft was also lost during operations over Iran, NBC News reported, citing US officials.
It reported that two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were hit during rescue efforts linked to the incident.
ABC News reported that during the rescue mission inside Iran, two MC-130J Commando II aircraft became stuck at a makeshift landing site and were later destroyed by US forces after all personnel were evacuated, while four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters were also destroyed at the same location to prevent capture.
Taken together, the downing of the F-15E and the subsequent rescue operation marked the most significant cluster of US aircraft losses reported during the conflict.
Iranian state media released images on Saturday that it said showed a CH-47 Chinook helicopter destroyed in a drone strike at a base in Kuwait, capping a series of incidents that have seen US aircraft losses rise across the region.
An Iranian strike on a Saudi air base on March 27 wounded more than a dozen US personnel and damaged two E-3 Sentry aircraft, NPR (National Public Radio) reported.
Images circulating online indicated that one of the aircraft was effectively destroyed.
On March 23, the Iran-aligned Iraqi Islamic Resistance released footage appearing to show FPV drone strikes targeting an AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Victory Base in Baghdad.
As of March 19, MQ-9 Reaper losses had reached at least 12, including nine drones shot down by Iranian defenses, one struck at an airfield in Jordan and two lost in accidents, sources told Bloomberg.
However, open-source investigative reports to date suggest the overall number of MQ-9 Reaper losses may be higher.
On March 19, CNN reported, citing sources, that an F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East after being hit by suspected Iranian fire during a combat mission over Iran, marking the first known combat damage to the aircraft.
Five KC-135 refueling aircraft were damaged in an Iranian missile strike on a Saudi air base, the Wall Street Journal reported on March 14, citing US officials.
An official said the planes were not destroyed and were being repaired, while US Central Command (CENTCOM) declined to comment.
On March 12, CENTCOM said a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed after a mid-air incident involving two aircraft over western Iraq.
It said the incident was not caused by hostile or friendly fire, while the second aircraft landed safely, though US media reports and images indicated it was damaged.
Three F-15E fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait in a friendly fire incident on March 1, with all six crew members ejecting safely and later recovered, CENTCOM said.
It said the jets were “mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” marking the first known US aircraft losses since the start of the war.
