The images were published on the heels of a report from the Pentagon’s watchdog, which found Iranian strikes had “damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan during the conflict”.
It also noted that equipment losses have totalled $3.7bn (£2.8bn). Overall, the US spent $33.4bn (£24.7bn) on the war up to 29 June, the report said.
In the months after the war began, “dozens of US aircraft were destroyed or damaged”, the report continues.
The document lists several of the aircraft damaged, including five refuelling aircraft which were “damaged or destroyed on the ground in Saudi Arabia by Iranian munitions”.
A separate report , externalfrom the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) notes that the E-3 aircraft is no longer in production and would have to be replaced with a more modern equivalent, the E-7.
The CBO noted that the E-3 aircraft alone costs $500m (£371m), and the estimated total cost of equipment lost in battle – including planes, drones and a terminal high altitude area defence system – amounts to $1.9b (£1.4b).
CBO said that its review was subject to “uncertainty” because the defence department did not respond to its requests for information, requiring the agency to rely on government databases and public reports.
Additionally, the extent of repairs and rebuilding that the US military plans to do remains unclear, according to the report.
