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The United States military has lost a total of 16 MQ-9 Reaper combat drones since the start of the war on Iran, CBS News reported on April 1, citing two American officials.
According to the channel, at least two drones were shot down by Iranian air defenses near the city of Isfahan in the center of the Islamic Republic very recently.
MQ-9 combat drones, which cost upwards of $30 million per a unit, are primarily used to collect intelligence, but have the ability to conduct pinpoint strikes. The advanced drones can operate for more than 27 hours and reach altitudes of over 25,000 feet.
Not all the MQ-9s lost since the start of the war were shot down over Iran. At least one was lost near Qatar, and another was intercepted over Iraq. The total cost of the Reapers lost so far is at least $480 millions.
In recent days, Iranian state media released videos showing the successful interception of three drones, alleged to be MQ-9s.
An additional video showed what appears to be a RQ-21 Blackjack drone of the U.S. military getting shot down by Iranian air defenses.
The RQ-21 was designed to provide forward reconnaissance. The drone has an endurance of 16 hours, an operational range of 93 kilometers. It can carry an 18 kg payload, typically a day/night electro-optical system. The cost of a single drone of this type is estimated at close to $9 millions.
The U.S. and Israel have largely succeeded in neutralizing the upper tiers of Iran’s air defense network. However, the Islamic Republic’s short-range air defense systems are still very active.
By targeting drones in particular, Iran is hindering the reconnaissance capabilities of both countries, and increasing the cost of the war.
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usa and israel are turning iranians into “persian jelly”…heheheh
this war can end with the detection of netanyahu and trump for crimes against humanity
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trump is going to start the ground invasion, tactical nooks will lead the way and vaporize any iranian military forces standing in the way of us forces. it will be like a walk in the park, like parting the red sea and crossing it. after that, any delusional thoughts of the iranian regime, the irgc and their delusional illiterate people of putting up any meaningful resistance will completely collapse. “nook their aas and take their gas” hehehe.