During attacks on Iran, both US and Israel forces have lost equipment, while US Central Command confirms another American soldier has died.
Israeli Losses in Attacks on Iran
By Sunday, March 8, Iran had destroyed eight Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles, including three IAI Heron drones, four Elbit Hermes 900 systems, and one unidentified type of unmanned aerial vehicle – counted by Defence-blog. Heron and Hermes 900 drones form the backbone of Israel’s unmanned aerial vehicle fleet.
Heron, produced by Israel Aerospace Industries, can stay in the air for over 24 hours and is intended for long-range reconnaissance and observation missions. Hermes 900, produced by Elbit Systems, is also designed for surveillance and can additionally carry precision-guided munitions.
US Losses
The armed forces of the United States, in turn, lost three advanced MQ-9 Reaper drones, used by the US army for intelligence gathering, observation, and precision strike missions. The aircraft can be armed with laser-guided missiles and bombs.
The US also lost three F-15E Strike Eagle fighters, although they were not lost to Iran but were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defense defending against Iranian strikes. The pilots safely ejected from the damaged fighters.
Assessment of Operations
Despite these losses, preliminary assessments by military analysts suggest that the joint US-Israeli campaign achieved goals related to weakening Iranian air defense capabilities – assessed by Defence-blog.
According to another portal, TheWarZone, Iranian air defense has not yet been completely destroyed, and the US and Israel have not achieved dominance over Iranian airspace.
Death of an American Soldier
US Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement on Sunday informing of the death of another soldier. The man died Saturday evening as a result of serious injuries sustained during the Iranian attack (March 1) on American troops in Saudi Arabia.
“This is the seventh soldier who has died in action during Operation ‘Epic Fury’. Major combat operations are continuing. The identity of the deceased soldier will be classified for 24 hours after notification of their immediate family” – wrote CENTCOM.
