AgusDiaz 🇲🇽Apr 4
Anonymous
Iran has shot down at least 16 MQ-Reaper drones in the last 30 days, each valued at least $30,000,000, approximately $480,000,000 not counting cumulative costs. This is the most expensive loss in US drone warfare history so far, it also represents 10% of the US aircraft allocated to the region.
Apr 4 at 3:55amWeb
Show threadSir Farts AlotApr 4
@youranoncentral.bsky.social Just imagine all the nice things WTP could have had in place of those POS drones.
Show threadDavide_SandiniApr 4
@youranoncentral.bsky.social
But more, the downing of US-Israel drones from iranian air defense is apparently proceding with the same pace from the beginning of the war, witnessing a solid continuity of defense capability, despite US-Israel bombings.
Show threadAlexander S. KunzApr 4

@youranoncentral.bsky.social it is worth noting that they've done so with a "Loitering SAM" called "358" that only costs an estimated US$30000 - US$50000.

https://www.golem.de/news/patrouillierende-flugabwehrwaffe-358-iran-setzt-loitering-sam-gegen-us-drohnen-ein-2604-207178.html (sorry German only, run it through a translator service pls)

Patrouillierende Flugabwehrwaffe 358: Iran setzt Loitering SAM gegen US-Drohnen ein - Golem.de

Die iranische 358-Rakete ist eine besondere Hybridwaffe, die Drohnentechnologie mit Flugabwehrfähigkeit verbindet. Für die USA wird das zum Problem.

Golem.de
Show threadJohn MackayApr 4
@youranoncentral.bsky.social Probably because the objective of American Wars is not win but to spend money and inflate the economy. It's America's biggest export.
Show threadReinald KirchnerApr 4
@youranoncentral.bsky.social the US Military is only used to bully toothless opponents. It seems, the Iran is not one of those.
Show threadAndi HApr 4
@youranoncentral.bsky.social
Maybe the US Generals that Hesgeth sacked had an up to date strategy about fighting drone wars in 2026 ... From say Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian army...
Show threadVirginicusApr 4
@youranoncentral.bsky.social @nomdeb The drones are serving their purpose. No pilots got hurt.
Show threadFazal MajidApr 4
@youranoncentral.bsky.social they'd already captured one a decade or so ago by the expedient of jamming GPS, and handed it over to the Russians for reverse-engineering.
Show threadJohn Carlsen 🇺🇸🇳🇱🇪🇺Apr 4

@youranoncentral.bsky.social

Your numbers are a little off, but I get your point:

16 × $16MM = $256MM

"More than a dozen $16M Reaper drones have been destroyed in Iran operations, US officials say

The drones are used for reconnaissance and can be armed with weapons."

ByLuis Martinez
March 17, 2026, 3:02 PM

https://abcnews.com/Politics/dozen-16m-reaper-drones-destroyed-iran-operations-us/story?id=131163787

More than a dozen $16M Reaper drones have been destroyed in Iran operations, US officials say

The drones are used for reconnaissance and can be armed with weapons.

ABC News
Show threadideogramApr 5
@johnlogic
Military watch website calls them 150M aircraft and says 17 shot down = $2,550,000,000. Wikipedia quotes the cost at $34M per unit, making it $578,000,000.
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/iran-shoots-down-seventeenth-mq9-reaper-drone
@youranoncentral.bsky.social