A United States defence watchdog report has confirmed some startling statistics regarding Operation Epic Fury, including some major financial and personnel
losses- and even a shortfall in their weapons stockpile. An official US report to Congress states that the financial losses incurred during the joint operation with Israel, were estimated to be $33.4 billion, of which $22.3 billion was for expended munitions alone. The operational costs and equipment losses have been reported at a near $7.4 billion and $3.7 billion respectively. The US Department of War reportedly asked for $21 billion, specifically for munitions, in a June 24 supplemental request to Congress. US air assets also took a massive hit in Operation Epic Fury across multiple platforms. Four F-15E fighters were destroyed during the conflict- notably, three were lost to friendly fire, with only one attributed to enemy action, says the report. A single F-35A sustained damage from enemy fire while operating over Iran, and one A-10 was destroyed after being discarded due to damage sustained returning from a combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission. The refueling fleet was hit particularly hard, said the report, as seven KC-135 tankers were damaged or destroyed, including one lost in a mid-air collision over Iraq and five others damaged or destroyed on the ground in Saudi Arabia. An E-3 airborne early-warning aircraft was also damaged on the ground in the same country. Rotary-wing and unmanned assets sustained losses as well. One HH-60W helicopter was damaged during CSAR operations, while four AH-6 helicopters were destroyed by U.S. forces after being deemed unrecoverable during similar missions. A separate AH-64 helicopter was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz, and an MH-60 helicopter crashed over the Arabian Sea. On the unmanned side, one MQ-4C high-altitude surveillance aircraft crashed, and as many as 30 MQ-9 ISR drones were destroyed across various incidents throughout the operation. Between February 28 and June 30, the Department of War reported 7 service members killed in action and another 7 killed in non-hostile incidents during Operation Epic Fury, with 417 wounded in action over the same period. Casualties continued beyond the formal reporting window, too- four additional service members were killed in action in July, after the quarter had officially closed.
