Eurasia Review | Jennifer DiMascio, Joshua Korzilius, Daniel M. Gettinger
The United States, in coordination with Israel, initiated Operation Epic Fury against Iran on February 28, 2026, involving air, maritime, and missile combat across the Middle East. This analysis details 42 U.S. fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including drones, reportedly lost or damaged during the conflict, which saw a temporary ceasefire before strikes resumed. Significant losses include four F-15E Strike Eagles (one over Iran, three by friendly fire), an F-35A Lightning II, an A-10 Thunderbolt II, seven KC-135 Stratotankers, an E-3 Sentry AWACS, two MC-130J Commando IIs, an HH-60W Jolly Green II, twenty-four MQ-9 Reapers, and one MQ-4C Triton. These incidents, occurring through enemy action, friendly fire, and ground attacks, highlight the contested nature of the operational environment. The Department of Defense has not provided a comprehensive loss assessment, but an estimated $25 billion has been spent. These losses raise critical congressional oversight issues concerning budgetary impacts, force sufficiency, industrial base capacity, and operational risk, potentially necessitating adjustments to U.S. tactics and basing posture in the region.
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