US loses nearly $2b worth of military equipment in first 4 days of Iran war

The United States has lost nearly $2 billion worth of military equipment amid its attacks against Iran since Saturday, according to estimates and data compiled by Anadolu Agency.

The chief driver of the cost is a US AN/FPS-132 early warning radar system at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, valued at $1.1b, which was hit with a missile strike by Iran on Saturday. Qatar confirmed that the radar was hit and damaged.

On Sunday, 3 F-15E Strike Eagles were lost in a “friendly fire” incident by Kuwaiti air defences. While all six aircrew survived, the planes did not; the cost of replacing them is estimated at $282 million.

During its opening retaliatory attack on Saturday, Iran struck the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, destroying two satellite communications terminals and several large buildings.

Using open-source intelligence reports, the targeted SATCOM terminals were identified as AN/GSC-52Bs, which approximately cost $20m, factoring in deployment and installation costs.

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Iran also claimed to have destroyed the AN/TPY-2 radar component of the THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) System deployed at Al-Ruwais Industrial City in the United Arab Emirates. Satellite imagery through open-source intelligence reports suggests that there has been a hit. The destroyed radar component is estimated to be worth $500m.

Combining these costs, Iran has damaged $1.902b worth of US military assets in the region.

Iran has so far targeted at least seven US military sites across the Middle East since the US and Israel began striking Iran on Saturday: the US Fifth Fleet's headquarters in Bahrain, Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Buehring in Kuwait, Erbil Base in Iraq, the UAE's Jebel Ali Port, the US Navy's largest port of call in the Middle East, and Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

In Kuwait, images taken revealed collapsed rooftops at multiple points within Ali Al Salem Air Base following reports of an Iranian strike the previous day. Camp Arifjan was the primary site where six US service members were killed. A widely circulated video recorded inside Camp Buehring in Kuwait showed a drone flying over the installation before exploding within its perimeter.

Footage and photographs confirmed by the New York Times suggested that Iran repeatedly targeted the military installation at Erbil International Airport in Iraq, where US forces are stationed, throughout Saturday and Sunday. Smoke and flames were visible rising from the area.

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By Sunday morning, satellite images showed that four structures in one section of the base had been damaged or destroyed, with fires still burning into early Monday.

Meanwhile, satellite imagery on Sunday of Jebel Ali Port in Dubai showed smoke rising from a large building within a fenced US Navy recreational zone. Although not an official US base, Jebel Ali is among the navy’s most frequently used ports.

In addition to the military bases, US diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE have also been a target of strikes.

The US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was hit by two drones. The Saudi Defence Ministry reported "limited fire and minor material damage" to the compound. According to The Washington Post, the CIA Station inside the compound was also hit.

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The US Embassy in Kuwait City, Kuwait, was attacked with drone and missile strikes. Smoke was reported near the compound, with damage details remaining limited in public reporting. The embassy closed "until further notice" with non-essential staff and families being evacuated.

The US Consulate General in Dubai, UAE was hit by a suspected Iranian drone that struck a parking lot adjacent to the chancellery building. A fire started but was quickly contained by local authorities. The consulate grounds sustained some impact but no major structural destruction.