US Loses Nearly Rp33.7 Trillion Worth of Military Equipment in First Four Days of War in Iran

Illustration of Iran's missile launch. (Wikimedia Commons/Hossein Velayati)

JAKARTA - The United States has lost military equipment worth nearly 2 billion US dollars (Rp33,744,000,000,000) in its military operations against Iran since Saturday, according to estimates and data collected by Anadolu.

The main cause of the loss was the AN/FPS-132 early warning radar system of the US at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, worth 1.1 billion US dollars (Rp18,559,200,000,000), which was hit by a missile attack by Iran on Saturday, quoted from Anadolu (5/3).

Qatar confirmed that the radar was hit and damaged.

On Sunday, three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter planes were lost in an incident of accidental shooting by Kuwaiti air defense. Although all six crew members survived, the planes were destroyed; the cost of replacing them is estimated at 282 million US dollars (Rp4.757.904.000.000).

During its opening attack on Saturday, Iran attacked the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, destroying two satellite communications terminals and several large buildings.

Based on open source intelligence reports, the SATCOM terminal that was targeted was identified as AN/GSC-52B, which is estimated to cost 20 million US dollars, including deployment and installation costs.

Iran also claimed to have destroyed the radar component of the AN/TPY-2 of the THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) System deployed in the Al-Ruwais Industrial City in the United Arab Emirates.

Satellite imagery through open source intelligence reports showed the attack. The destroyed radar components are estimated to be worth $500 million.

By combining these costs, Iran has damaged US military assets in the region worth 1.902 billion US dollars (Rp2.090.544.000.000).

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

In Kuwait, images taken Sunday afternoon showed collapsed roofs at several points inside Ali Al Salem Air Base after reports of Iranian attacks the day before.

Camp Arifjan is the main location where six US military members were killed. A widely circulated video recorded on Sunday inside Camp Buehring in Kuwait shows a drone flying over the installation before exploding inside its perimeter.

Footage and photos confirmed by the New York Times show Iran repeatedly targeting military installations at Erbil International Airport in Iraq, where US forces are stationed, throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Smoke and flames were seen billowing from the area. On Sunday morning, satellite imagery showed that four buildings in one part of the base had been damaged or destroyed, with the fire still raging into Monday morning.

Meanwhile, satellite imagery on Sunday at the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai showed smoke billowing from a large building inside the fenced-off US Navy recreation zone. Although not an official US base, Jebel Ali is among the ports most frequently used by the navy.

In addition to military bases, US diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were also targeted.

The US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was hit by two drones. The Saudi Ministry of Defense reported "limited fires and minor material damage" to the complex. According to The Washington Post, the CIA station inside the complex was also hit.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in the Kuwaiti city of Kuwait City was attacked with drone and missile attacks described as a "brutal" Iranian attack by Kuwaiti officials. Smoke was reported near the complex, with details of the damage still limited in public reports. The embassy was closed "until further notice" with non-essential staff and families evacuated.

Also the US Consulate General in Dubai, UAE, was hit by a drone allegedly belonging to Iran which hit a parking lot next to the consulate building. A fire occurred but was quickly extinguished by local authorities. The consulate area suffered some impacts but there was no major structural damage.