At least 16 US military aircraft have been destroyed since the start of the conflict with Iran, including 10 MQ-9 Reaper drones shot down by enemy fire, while several others have been damaged in strikes and operational incidents, according to officials cited by Bloomberg.
The most severe losses were attributed to accidents, including three US F-15 fighter jets downed by friendly fire in Kuwait and a KC-135 refuelling tanker destroyed during a mid-air operation, killing all six crew members on board. Five additional KC-135 aircraft were reportedly damaged in an Iranian missile strike on a base in Saudi Arabia.
