United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Shot down

US officials told CBS News that three General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers were lost over Iran on 5 March 2026, the heaviest single-day Reaper loss of the campaign to that point. Officials did not specify where each airframe came down, noting only that one MQ-9A fell on the Iranian coast. Iranian media published imagery of a fourth-generation Reaper wreck recovered near Khorramabad in Lorestan province the same day, which is assessed to be one of the three. The losses came a week into Operation Epic Fury, as Iranian short-range air defences concentrated around targets being surveilled ahead of strikes.