China News Service, October 9 (Reporter Diao Wei) The U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS) released the latest report on the 5th stating that since the use of force against Iran on February 28, 81 U.S. military aircraft have been damaged or destroyed.
It is worth noting that on May 20, CRS issued a report stating that the US military in the Middle East lost 42 aircraft of various types.
In other words, from the initially announced 42 aircraft to the latest disclosed 81 aircraft, in less than five months, the number of US military aircraft battle losses in the Middle East has almost doubled.
Special observer Shi Zhongjian told China News Service that the changes in relevant figures are not only due to factors such as early confidentiality and adjustments in statistical caliber by the United States, but also reflect the intensity of the confrontation between the United States and Iran.
The latest data from CRS shows that the US military has added 13 battle-damaged aircraft since September, which corresponds to the period in early September when Iran launched violent retaliatory actions.
According to CBS, during Iran’s missile attack on the US military base in Jordan in early September, the wing of an A-10 attack aircraft was broken and eight F-15E fighter jets were slightly damaged.
Shi Zhongjian further analyzed and pointed out that the US military may have actually lost more than 81 aircraft.
Taking the MQ-9 UAV as an example, the claim that 45 of them were lost originated from a report in the Washington Post on August 13. But after that, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards repeatedly announced that it had shot down this type of drone.
For example, Iran's Tasnim News Agency stated that on September 1, the Iranian air defense forces shot down an MQ-9 over the city of Khomein in the center of the country, and published photos of the wreckage of the drone.
According to the Indian Defense News website, as of late September, Iran had shot down 53 MQ-9s.
For another example, the US military base in Jordan has been attacked many times. Foreign media videos showed that at least four US-made "Black Hawk" helicopters were bombed with bruises, but the latter was not included in the CRS report.
According to the US "War Zone" website, a "Black Hawk" helicopter of the US military stationed in Iraq and a CH-47 transport helicopter of the US military stationed in Kuwait were destroyed, which were also not reflected in the new version of the report.
Shi Zhongjian said that the scale and variety of aircraft lost by the US military in the Middle East were unprecedented since the Vietnam War. If you look at the world, it has exceeded the air power assets of most countries.
"The US military not only lost a large number of fighter jets and drones that were responsible for attack missions, but also destroyed many early warning aircraft, tankers and helicopters, destroying the integrity of its air combat system."
Coupled with the losses of radars, anti-aircraft missiles, runways, warehouses, command centers and other military facilities, he believes that "the US military in the Middle East is severely damaged, which is almost equivalent to the loss of combat capability of the air force of a medium-sized country."
The Associated Press stated that as of early September, the United States’ war expenditures on Iraq had reached 43.6 billion U.S. dollars. Among them, ammunition consumption was approximately US$28 billion, and equipment losses exceeded US$4.3 billion.
The New York Times quoted the Pentagon as saying that Iran also destroyed "hundreds of buildings and supporting facilities" at U.S. military bases in the Middle East, as well as many U.S. diplomatic institutions and U.S.-owned data centers.
According to estimates by a Washington think tank, the US military in the Middle East will spend nearly US$100 million every day during the ceasefire period. If these expenses are included, the total loss of the US military may exceed 45 billion US dollars.
