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An independent report<\/a> produced for the U.S. Congress, which should be stressed is independent of the Department of Defense (DoD) and without access to information beyond what is publicly available, has attempted to catalogue all known instances of U.S. military aircraft being damaged or destroyed as a result of Operation Epic Fury<\/a>. This includes aircraft lost to enemy action as well as to other incidents.\u00a0<\/p>\n In total, the CRS lists 42 airframes lost or damaged, all of which were previously known. It includes 24 MQ-9 Reapers, 7 KC-135 Stratotankers<\/a>, 4 F-15E Strike Eagles<\/a>, 2 MC-130J Commando II<\/a>, and one incident each involving an E-3 Sentry, F-35A Lightning II<\/a>, A-10 Thunderbolt II<\/a>, HH-60W Jolly Green II, and an MQ-4C Triton<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, there are some aspects to this report where some known details have apparently been missed. The most notable is arguably the listing of a single E-3 Sentry as \u2018damaged\u2019. There are indeed reports that at least one E-3 Sentry suffered damaged on the ground during Iranian missile and drone attacks against U.S. forward bases in the Middle East, but it is also known that at least one E-3 was in fact totally destroyed<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDamaged\u201d AWACS\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/tCGHjpaDcO<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/fGusI20H9p<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The(REAL)IntelFrog (@TheIntelFrogbu) May 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The report also omits the known intentional destruction of as many as four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters<\/a> belonging to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) during the same combat search and rescue (CSAR) where the two listed MC-130J Commando IIs were intentionally destroyed after becoming stuck at an austere airstrip.<\/p>\n Apparently, two U.S. Special Operations Command MH\u20116 Little Bird helicopters were destroyed during the CSAR operation in Iran. https:\/\/t.co\/TRUIoqAJKg<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/odSMFqpmcJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Egypt\u2019s Intel Observer (@EGYOSINT) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Deep inside Iranian territory, with these special operations transport aircraft destroyed, the MH-6s had no other way to exit the country and their burned out remains were subsequently seen alongside those of the MC-130s.<\/p>\n Since the losses of these helicopters were well reported \u2013 including by mainstream outlets like ABC News<\/em><\/a> \u2013 it\u2019s not clear whether these aircraft were missed from the list due to an oversight or whether they were intentionally overlooked. In theory, as an independent report without DoD input and compiled with the pure intent simply to provide lawmakers with an objective, succinct overview, there should not be any reason for the intentional omission of a publicly reported loss like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n The listing of a single HH-60W damaged is also fewer than many reports have stated, although it is much more difficult to be certain about these due to the lack of availability of clear evidence. Some claims report two UH-60 Black Hawks were damaged during the CSAR mission, though this is more likely to be two HH-60Ws \u2013 which are based on the UH-60.<\/p>\n WATCH: Iranian police firing at two U.S. HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters during a search for the downed F-15E crew jet today. pic.twitter.com\/mMdrRAlUIN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Clash Report (@clashreport) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The lead helicopter in the mission, carrying the rescued pilot, was said by General Dan Caine \u2013 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff \u2013 to have been targeted by small arms fire, but the second HH-60W in the flight trailing behind was specifically noted as having taken fire to the point of a crew member inside suffering a \u2018minor injury\u2019.<\/p>\n It may have been the case that both of these helicopters were physically damaged but damage on the lead aircraft was limited to superficial scars while on the trailing aircraft the injury to a crew member might indicate it received a larger number of hits.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
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Video shows a US Air Force C-130 refueling two helicopters midair as a search is under way for the crew of a US fighter jet reported downed in Iran ![\"\u2935\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/72x72\/2935.png\")
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