Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Network Inflicts Heaviest MQ-9 Losses on U.S. Drones

Brigadier General Alireza Elhami, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Joint Air Defense Headquarters and the Army Air Defense Force, said in an interview on Tuesday that Iran’s integrated and intelligent air defense network has inflicted the heaviest losses on the enemy's equipment in the history of aerial warfare.

“Tehran, IRNA – The commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Joint Air Defense Headquarters and the Army Air Defense Force, Brigadier General Alireza Elhami, says the country’s integrated and intelligent air defense network has inflicted the heaviest losses on the enemy's equipment in the history of aerial warfare”

IRNA English

Elhami said the enemy deployed advanced MQ-9 drones for strategic reconnaissance, electro-optic surveillance, signal collection, and precision-guided strikes, but that the enemy has admitted to suffering billions of dollars in losses of these aircraft during the third imposed war.

Mehr News Agency

He added that a large fleet of drones—including MQ-9, Hermes 900, Orbiter, Lucas, and Hermes 450—attempted to gain an advantage through sheer volume of fire, while Iran used dispersion, electronic deception, and precise engagement to diminish the effectiveness of aerial attacks.

The IRNA account also said Iran’s air defense successfully countered the enemy’s unilateral missions by leveraging rapid radar data processing and intelligent strategies, and that the integrated and advanced air defense network inflicted one of the heaviest equipment losses on the aggressive enemy’s air power.

In a separate account, Colonel Ali Reza Al-Hami, commander of the Joint Air Defense Command in Iran, said the enemy acknowledged billions of dollars in losses as a result of the loss of MQ-9 aircraft during the Third Imposed War.

The Vietnam.vn report said General Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, regarded the MQ-9 Reaper as the most important asset of Operation Epic Fury in Iran, while also noting that the U.S. Congress report cited at least 42 U.S. Air Force aircraft destroyed or severely damaged during the six-week conflict from late February to early April 2026.

That same report said 24 MQ-9 Reaper aircraft were destroyed, representing 57% of the total aircraft losses during the entire operation, and it described Wilsbach’s view that there is no other platform that matches the MQ-9 in terms of the number of strikes it has carried out against enemy targets.

TRT Arabi

TRT عربي reported that the scale of losses began with early attacks that started on February 28, and it estimated the total cost of damaged aircraft—including fighters, drones, refueling aircraft, and helicopters—at more than $2.8 billion.

TRT عربي also said on April 3 Iranian air defenses shot down an F-15E Strike Eagle worth $65 million, and that NBC News reported an A-10 attack aircraft worth $18.8 million was lost on the same day during air operations over Iran.

In a separate CRS-based account carried by نورنیوز, the report said the United States Air Force lost 42 aircraft in operations against Iran, including 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and one MQ-4C Triton drone of the U.S. Navy, and it stated that seven KC-135 Stratotankers were taken out of service.

قناة نبأ الفضائية said the U.S. Congressional Research Service report under number IN12692 prompted members of Congress to call on the Department of Defense to provide a full assessment of the air and military losses the United States sustained during the war on Iran.

“Statements by American officials and media reports show the extent of the damage to American aircraft since the early attacks that began on February 28, with these losses occurring in various countries across the Middle East as a result of combat losses, accidents, and multiple attacks”

TRT Arabi

That same report said the losses included the destruction of four F-15E fighters, three of which crashed over Kuwait, along with damage to an F-35A fighter and an A-10 attack aircraft, and it also cited the crash of a KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft and the death of its crew.

It further stated that the report mentioned the loss of 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and the crash of an MQ-4C Triton surveillance aircraft, raising the total number of aircraft and drones damaged or destroyed to 42 amid debate in Washington about the true size of the losses and the absence of a final disclosure from the Pentagon.

In parallel, Jamaran’s International Service said an infographic attributed to a Congressional Research Service report estimated the value of damaged or destroyed equipment at about $2.6 billion and said the total cost of the military operation had reached about $29 billion.

Jamaran’s International Service also specified that the damages included 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones, worth approximately $30 million each, and it said mostly lost due to Iran's air defense.