U.S. Aircraft Losses in Operation Epic Fury

April 11, 2026

Summary

TWZ tracked 39 U.S. aircraft losses and 10 damaged aircraft during the 39-day Operation Epic Fury.

Why this matters

The figures provide a clearer picture of the operational cost of the U.S. campaign against Iran, including the scale and types of aircraft lost. They also document notable incidents such as friendly-fire losses and damage to an F-35A.

More than five weeks after U.S. combat operations against Iran ended, a fuller picture has emerged of aircraft losses during Operation Epic Fury.

After more than 13,000 sorties over the 39-day campaign, the United States lost 39 aircraft and another 10 were damaged to varying degrees, according to The War Zone’s internal tracking efforts. Drones accounted for more than 60% of the losses. Up to 24 U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones were destroyed, according to the latest reporting from Jim LaPorta and CBS.

Five aircraft were shot down in the air: four F-15E Strike Eagles and one A-10 Warthog. An F-35A was also hit over Iranian airspace, in what the article described as the first known combat damage to a fifth-generation fighter, but the pilot landed safely.

About 20% of attrition resulted from friendly fire, including three F-15Es shot down over Kuwait, or from the deliberate destruction of aircraft to prevent capture during a combat search-and-rescue mission in Iranian territory.

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Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a package of public safety bills Friday, including measures on firearms, support for first responders, and victim protections.

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Among the firearm measures, House Bill 19 by Del. Adele McClure, D-Alexandria, and Senate Bill 160 by Sen. Russet Perry, D-Loudoun, barred intimate partners convicted of domestic violence from obtaining or possessing firearms. HB93 by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, D-Alexandria, and SB38 by Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, set age and residence requirements for people who may receive firearms transferred from people under protective orders or convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes.

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The U.S. delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed hope that both sides would “engage constructively” and said Pakistan wanted to keep facilitating efforts toward “a lasting and durable solution to the conflict.”

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