On March 18, US officials confirmed to local media that the country's military had lost about 12 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in the operation against Iran.
According to the two officials, the Reaper UAVs were mainly damaged by Iranian missiles while being deployed or destroyed on the ground by enemy fire.
Observers believe that the number of US Reaper UAVs lost in the operation in Iran may have exceeded 12, as Washington last announced it on March 9, when US officials said 11 had been lost.
The large Reaper loss shows the significant deployment of this main UAV in attacks targeting Iran.
The MQ-9 Reaper is a UAV used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, as well as precision strikes.
This type of UAV is said to be more easily shot down because it is designed for a counter-terrorism environment with limited air defense systems, instead of dealing with countries that possess modern missile systems.
Moreover, the maximum speed of the Reaper is about 480 km/h, which is considered significantly slower than fighter jets, which can reach about 1,930 - 3,060 km/h.
The US Air Force announced the final 5-year Reaper purchase contract in 2020, and manufacturer General Atomics closed the production line last year after manufacturing a total of 575 units.
The last batch costs about 16 million USD each when purchased in a package of 4 units, according to Mr. C. Mark Brinkley, spokesman for General Atomics.
