At least 81 US aircraft worth up to $3.3bn lost or damaged in Iran war

The US military has lost or damaged at least 81 aircraft in the war with Iran, with their combined value estimated at up to $3.3 billion. The losses are documented in a report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The report comes as President Donald Trump faces criticism over the cost of the war. Aircraft losses are one part of the conflict's financial burden, and the new figures give a sense of its scale.

The wording matters. The figures are given as "at least" 81 aircraft and "up to" $3.3 billion, which suggests the count is a minimum and the value an upper estimate. The total also covers both lost and merely damaged aircraft, so it does not equal the number of aircraft destroyed outright.

The material available does not specify which types of aircraft were affected, when or in what circumstances they were lost or damaged, or how the total divides between the two categories. Those details would help explain how the final sum is built up, but they are not set out here.

As the war continues, its cost is becoming an increasingly prominent political issue in Washington.