Pentagon seeks cheaper drone replacements after losing nearly 30 Reapers worth $1 billion to Iranian defenses
The US military has lost nearly 30 Reaper drones (worth about $1 billion total) to Iranian air defenses and counterstrikes during the Iran war, reducing the Reaper fleet to roughly 135 drones. These losses have prompted the Pentagon to seek cheaper hunter-killer drone replacements to maintain combat capability while reducing costs.
Key quotes
The US military had lost nearly 30 Reaper drones as of May 2026, including some destroyed on the ground by Iranian counterstrikes
The Air Force acknowledged such combat losses as reducing its Reaper fleet to about 135 drones
The total US taxpayer bill for the destroyed Reapers comes to about $1 billion
From the article
US military drone losses in Iran war spur Pentagon call for cheap replacements.
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