The trickle of press reports based on leaks about the failure of the U.S. military campaign against Iran has turned into a tidal wave in recent days.
Bloomberg reported on May 21 that Iran has destroyed more than two dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones operated by US forces since the war began, a significant loss worth nearly $1 billion that represents 20% of the Pentagon’s prewar inventory for the hard-to-replace unmanned system. So far, US forces have lost at least 24 Reapers, and possibly as many as 30, with the total including drones that were damaged and written off later, according to Bloomberg’s unnamed source.
CNN reported the same day that Iran has already restarted some of its drone production during the six-week ceasefire that began in early April, one sign it is rapidly rebuilding certain military capabilities degraded by US-Israeli strikes, according to two sources familiar with US intelligence assessments. Four sources told CNN that US intelligence indicates Iran’s military is reconstituting much faster than initially estimated.