WASHINGTON / MIDDLE EAST: The United States has lost nearly $2 billion worth of military equipment in the first four days of its conflict with Iran, according to estimates and data compiled by Anadolu Agency based on open-source intelligence and reported damage across multiple military installations in the region.
The reported losses include radar systems, aircraft and communications infrastructure damaged or destroyed during Iranian retaliatory strikes on US military facilities across the Middle East following US and Israeli attacks on Iran that began on Saturday.
Radar strike at Qatar base accounts for largest loss
The most costly single loss was an AN/FPS-132 early warning radar system located at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The system, valued at approximately $1.1 billion, was struck by an Iranian missile on Saturday, according to the report. Qatari authorities confirmed that the radar facility was hit and damaged.
In another incident on Sunday, three US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were reportedly lost in a friendly fire episode involving Kuwaiti air defences.
Three US F-15E fighter jets go down over Kuwait, CENTCOM confirms
All six crew members survived the incident, but the aircraft were destroyed. The estimated replacement cost for the jets is about $282 million.
Communications systems and missile defence radar damaged
Iran also targeted the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, during its initial retaliatory strikes. The attack reportedly destroyed two satellite communications terminals and damaged several buildings at the installation.
Open-source intelligence identified the destroyed communication units as AN/GSC-52B satellite communications terminals, each estimated to cost around $20 million including installation and deployment.
Iran has also claimed it destroyed an AN/TPY-2 radar component belonging to the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defence system deployed at Al-Ruwais Industrial City in the United Arab Emirates. Satellite imagery reviewed in open-source reports suggested the radar site had been hit. The radar component is estimated to be worth about $500 million.
Multiple US bases targeted across the region
Iran has reportedly targeted at least seven US military locations across the Middle East since the start of hostilities. These include the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Buehring in Kuwait, Erbil Air Base in Iraq, Jebel Ali Port in the UAE and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Images from Kuwait showed collapsed rooftops at sections of Ali Al Salem Air Base after reports of an Iranian strike. Camp Arifjan was also reported to be the site where six US service members were killed.
Video footage circulating online appeared to show a drone flying over Camp Buehring in Kuwait before exploding within the installation’s perimeter.
Satellite imagery and photographs verified by The New York Times indicated that Iranian strikes repeatedly targeted the US military installation at Erbil International Airport in Iraq over the weekend. Fires and structural damage were visible in several parts of the base, with satellite images showing at least four buildings damaged or destroyed.
Satellite imagery from Sunday also showed smoke rising from a building in a fenced US Navy recreational area at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai. Although not an official base, Jebel Ali is one of the US Navy’s most frequently used ports in the Middle East.
Diplomatic facilities also targeted
US diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were also struck during the attacks.
In Saudi Arabia, two drones hit the US Embassy compound in Riyadh. The Saudi Defence Ministry reported limited fire and minor material damage. The Washington Post reported that a CIA station located within the compound was also struck.
The US Embassy in Kuwait City was targeted with drone and missile strikes, with smoke seen near the compound. The embassy later closed until further notice while non-essential staff and family members were evacuated.
In the UAE, a suspected Iranian drone struck a parking area near the US Consulate General in Dubai. Local authorities quickly contained a fire that started at the site, and no major structural damage was reported.
Based on the compiled estimates, the total value of US military assets damaged or destroyed during the first days of the conflict is approximately $1.902 billion.
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