$3 billion in damage in three weeks of war
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the US military lost approximately 10 warplanes and more than a dozen drones during the conflict with Iran, along with damage to radars and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.
On March 1, three F-15E Strike Eagle fighters were lost, mistakenly shot down by a Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet. A new F-15 costs approximately $100 million.
On March 19, an F-35A Lightning II made an emergency landing; its replacement will cost $82.5 million.
Furthermore, seven KC-135 Stratotanker tankers were damaged during the conflict – two in a collision and five in an Iranian missile strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The latter are currently undergoing repairs, and, according to the WSJ, the irretrievably lost aircraft will likely be replaced by KC-46 Pegasus tanker aircraft, costing approximately $165 million.
According to estimates by a former Pentagon official cited by the newspaper, the US will be forced to spend up to $2.9 billion on repairs or replacement of military equipment.
haqqin.az