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Congressman Says 39 US Aircrafts Lost by Pentagon in Iran War
Democratic Congressman Ed Case revealed during a Senate hearing that the US has lost 39 aircraft in the Iran war, citing a defense publication report. The Pentagon's own financial officer could not confirm the replacement costs.
From https://case.house.gov/
A US Senator had to read from a defense news website to find out what the Pentagon lost in its own war.
That is not a hypothetical. That is what happened on Tuesday in Washington.
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Democratic Congressman Ed Case stood up during a special Senate committee hearing and told Pentagon Chief Financial Officer Jay Hurst that the United States has lost 39 aircraft since the start of the war with Iran on February 28.
He was not reading from a classified briefing. He was not citing an official military report.
He was citing a report from The War Zone, a US defense publication. And he pointed out that the report was already almost one month old at the time he was reading it.
A sitting congressman learning about American military losses from a month-old magazine article because the Pentagon never officially said a word.
Let that land for a moment.
According to the report Case cited, the US Air Force conducted nearly 13,000 flights during the conflict. Of the aircraft involved, 39 were destroyed and another 10 sustained varying degrees of damage.
The losses were not minor. The list of what went down is significant.
Among the 39 destroyed aircraft were 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones along with several F-15 and A-10 platforms. An F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter was reportedly hit inside Iranian airspace, and a Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft was destroyed.
Some aircraft were also reportedly intentionally destroyed to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.
Case asked Hurst directly whether the Pentagon had calculated the long-term replacement and retention costs for all of those aircraft.
The answer from the Pentagon's own financial officer was striking.
Hurst replied there were costs but said he would need to get back to Case in writing. "We want to do a full diagnosis of the aircraft before we estimate that cost," he said.
The war started February 28. It is now May 13. The Pentagon's chief financial officer still cannot tell Congress what 39 lost aircraft are going to cost to replace.
If you have followed this far, here is where the transparency problem becomes impossible to ignore.
The fact that a congressman had to read from a month-old defense publication during a Senate hearing to bring these losses to light points to a serious lack of transparency from the Pentagon. The War Zone report appears to be the only available source for these numbers, and even those figures may no longer reflect the current situation since the conflict has continued developing since the report was published.
Case suggested the actual losses could exceed the reported figures.
This is the same week the Pentagon told Congress the war has cost $29 billion so far. A number that jumped $4 billion in just two weeks. A number that does not include base repair costs. A number that one war budgeting expert says will ultimately reach $1 trillion.
And now, on top of all of that, 39 confirmed aircraft destroyed. Ten more damaged. Costs unknown. Timeline for replacement unclear.
With depleted munitions stockpiles and significant aircraft losses, the Pentagon is facing pressure to accelerate procurement under its proposed $1.5 trillion budget request. Lawmakers from both parties are seeking detailed briefings on exit strategies, Strait of Hormuz reopening plans and replenishment timelines.
The Pentagon has been running nearly 13,000 sorties in Iranian airspace. It has lost 39 aircraft. Its own financial officer cannot calculate the cost. And the American public found out about it because a congressman read a magazine out loud at a hearing.
That is the state of transparency around the most expensive American military conflict in years.
The bill is growing. The losses are mounting. And the answers from Washington keep getting smaller.
Editor's Note: The revelation of 39 lost US aircraft during the Iran war raises serious questions about military transparency and congressional oversight. When lawmakers are relying on defense publications to understand the scope of American losses, the gap between what the Pentagon knows and what it chooses to share with the public has become a story in itself.
