Iranian strikes damaged several American military aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan this week, according to a U.S. official who spoke with Reuters.
The attack added another costly chapter to a conflict already taking a serious toll on American personnel, aircraft, and missile inventories.
The official, who requested anonymity, said one A-10 Thunderbolt II suffered severe damage during the attack.
The aircraft, widely known as the Warthog, was reportedly left missing a wing after the Iranian barrage struck the base Tuesday.
Here's What They're Not Telling You About Your Retirement
MORE NEWS: A Quarter Century Later, America Mourns September 11th with Unfading Grief and Solemn Reflection
Roughly eight F-15 fighter aircraft also sustained light damage, the official said.
Those aircraft were repaired or cleared quickly enough to return to service, preventing the strike from causing a broader immediate disruption to American air operations.
Even so, damage to nine aircraft on a major regional base is no small matter.
This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year
Iran demonstrated that American installations and expensive combat platforms remain vulnerable despite the vast sums Washington has poured into military readiness and regional air defenses.
The latest losses come on top of substantial material damage suffered since the Iran war began in February.
More than two dozen drones have been destroyed, fighter aircraft have been hit by Iranian attacks, and additional aircraft have been lost in accidents.
A May report from the Congressional Research Service found that 42 U.S. military aircraft had already been lost or damaged during the conflict.
That figure predates the latest attack in Jordan, meaning the overall count has almost certainly climbed.
The human cost has also continued to mount. Since fighting began in February, 18 American service members have been killed and more than 800 have been injured, according to the figures presented in the report.
Iran launched the Jordan strike after U.S. forces said they destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers. American officials described those operations as a response to aggressive actions by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The United States said the Iranian force had targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice during the previous two days.
That sequence of attacks and counterattacks illustrates how quickly the confrontation has expanded across the region.
Defending Muwaffaq Salti Air Base required American forces to fire roughly 30 Patriot interceptors, according to the U.S. official.
While the system helped counter the incoming missiles, using that many interceptors in a single engagement raises uncomfortable questions about how long current stockpiles can support sustained combat.
Exact inventory figures remain classified, as they should.
However, an estimate from the Center for Strategic and International Studies suggested that about 65 percent of America’s Patriot interceptors were expended between February and July.
The organization estimated that fewer than 850 interceptors remained available, compared with approximately 2,330 before the war began.
If accurate, those numbers point to a steep depletion rate that cannot be brushed aside with the usual Pentagon talking points and polished briefing room slides.
Patriot interceptors are sophisticated, costly, and not produced overnight.
Every large Iranian salvo forces American commanders to weigh the immediate need to protect troops and aircraft against the strategic requirement to preserve enough missiles for future attacks.
The damage in Jordan therefore represents more than one battered Warthog and several lightly struck F-15s.
It highlights the grinding arithmetic of modern warfare, where relatively frequent missile attacks can drain expensive defensive weapons while keeping airfields, ships, and personnel under constant pressure.
American forces returned the damaged F-15s to duty, showing the resilience of maintenance crews operating under wartime conditions.
Still, the missing wing on an A 10 and the expenditure of roughly 30 Patriot interceptors are hard evidence that Iran’s attack imposed a real price.
With 18 service members dead, more than 800 injured, and dozens of aircraft lost or damaged, the conflict is testing both American endurance and the depth of military stockpiles.
The troops are doing their jobs, but Washington must ensure they have enough aircraft, interceptors, and operational support to keep doing them without paying an ever higher cost.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.