Over the past month, the US has lost at least 16 aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, along with suffering damage to critical ground-based radar systems. Although Iran recently claimed it shot down a US Navy F/A-18, this was denied by the Pentagon.
One of the most notable incidents involved the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, among the most advanced combat aircraft in the world. A US Air Force F-35 was forced to make an emergency landing after being hit during a mission over Iran, marking the first known instance of such a jet being struck by enemy fire. The suspected cause was an Iranian infrared-guided surface-to-air missile system.
Another significant loss was the KC-135 Stratotanker, a long-serving refuelling aircraft. One crashed in Iraq on March 12, killing all six crew members, reportedly due to an accident rather than hostile action. Additional Stratotankers were damaged on the ground following missile strikes on bases in Saudi Arabia.
In a case of friendly fire, three McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle aircraft were mistakenly shot down over Kuwait during intense combat operations. All crew members survived after ejecting.
Unmanned systems have also taken heavy losses, with around a dozen General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones reportedly destroyed either in flight by Iranian defences or on the ground during missile strikes.
In addition to aerial losses, US ground-based radar infrastructure has been targeted. A major long-range radar system in Qatar, capable of monitoring threats across a vast radius, was damaged. Another key radar tied to missile defence systems was reportedly destroyed in Jordan, with similar systems in the United Arab Emirates also affected.
Despite the continued dominance of US and Israeli air power in the conflict, these incidents underline a critical reality: even the most advanced military forces remain vulnerable to a mix of enemy action, operational hazards, and battlefield complexity in modern warfare.
