The Iran war flushed $1.3 billion of Reaper drones down the drain

The U.S. has lost 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, worth at least $1.3 billion, since the start of its war on Iran, the Washington Post reported Friday.The drones can cost between $30 and $50 million each, depending on their sensor and weapons payload. The U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its pre-war fleet in the past five months.A defense official told the Washington Post that some of the drones were not shot down by Iranian forces, but instead were lost after their communications link to their operators failed. They did not say how many were lost this way.Observers say the MQ-9 losses are par for