The United States will be forced to spend an estimated $1.4-2.9 billion to repair or replace damaged and lost military equipment after the end of the conflict in the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a former Pentagon official.
According to the publication, the purchase of new F-15 fighters to replace the three mistakenly shot down F-15Es will cost $300 million. Repairs will also be needed for the F-35A Lightning II, which crashed after an alleged Iranian strike, costing an estimated $82.5 million. The KC-135 tanker aircraft that crashed due to production disruptions will likely be replaced with a KC-46, costing $165 million. However, other damaged aircraft in the region will also need repairs.
In addition, the US lost more than a dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones during the conflict with Iran, each of which cost approximately $16 million. Their production has also been discontinued, and the new MQ-9B drones will cost $30 million each.
Iran has carried out at least several strikes on radar, communications and air defense systems in many countries in the Middle East, including damaging the Qatari AN/FPS-132 early warning system, valued at approximately $1 billion. Meanwhile, the purchase of new AN/TPY-2 radars will cost $300 million. The Wall Street Journal noted that the extent of the damage from the fire on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford remains unknown.
Earlier, the Pentagon asked Congress for additional funds to support combat operations against Iran and replenish its arsenals. According to The Washington Post, the amount is more than $200 billion. Newsweek magazine estimates that a few more weeks of the US air campaign in Iran would cost more than the annual cost of the invasion of Iraq.