TEHRAN – Iranian air defenses have shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the southern province of Hormozgan, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced Friday, as a new report reveals the United States has lost 45 of the surveillance and strike platforms since launching its war of aggression against Iran.
The IRGC's Public Relations Department said in a brief statement that the IRGC's new advanced defense system intercepted and destroyed the MQ-9 Reaper in the skies of Hormozgan, under the control of the country's integrated air defense network.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that the losses could cost U.S. taxpayers more than $1.3 billion, with each Reaper estimated to be worth between $30 million and $50 million, depending on its configuration. 
When the war began on February 28, the U.S. had approximately 185 Reapers, including 165 operated by the Air Force and 20 by the Marine Corps.
Iranian air defenses accounted for a substantial share of the losses, highlighting the difficulty faced by the U.S. military in protecting its costly drones while operating over Iranian territory. 
By March 11, U.S. officials had acknowledged that Iran had shot down around 10 Reapers. More than two dozen Reapers had been destroyed by May, reducing the Air Force fleet to roughly 135 aircraft by May 12, according to U.S. defense officials.
On July 8, a U.S. official confirmed that Iran had shot down around 30 MQ-9s since the beginning of the war, underscoring the scale of the losses well before the latest figure of 45.
The attrition is particularly significant because the MQ-9 Reaper is a central component of U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, as well as precision strikes. Its ability to operate without risking a pilot has made it a preferred platform for missions over heavily defended territory.
The mounting losses have added to broader pressure on U.S. weapons stocks during the war, including the depletion of costly precision-guided missiles. Some U.S. interceptors cost more than $1 million each, while Iranian drones and missiles have repeatedly put U.S. air-defense systems under pressure across West Asia.
As the U.S. continues to lose costly drones over Iranian territory, a senior officer of the IRGC Aerospace Force confirmed in an interview with IRIB that production and delivery of Iran's air defense systems have continued without interruption following the 40-day war.
For the first time, parts of equipment recovered from U.S. and Israeli drones and a fighter jet intercepted by Iran's indigenous defense systems were displayed during the interview. Large sections of several U.S. and Israeli drones, including the MQ-9 Reaper, Hermes 900 and Hermes 450, and technical equipment from an MQ-9 and the U.S. F-15 fighter jet, were shown in the report.
The officer said that due to measures taken before the war, more than 85 percent of the production infrastructure for air defense systems was preserved. "Fortunately, there was no disruption in the production or delivery of air defense systems," he said.
He added that the production rate of some equipment and missiles that were effective during the war had increased compared with before the start of the conflict, and deliveries to operational units had also increased.
The officer pointed to an American F-15 fighter jet hit by an Iranian missile on April 3, saying it was carried out using "a purely Iranian tactic — a combination of equipment and tactics that managed to overcome the enemy's technological edge."
He said the pilot realized moments before the missile reached the aircraft that he had only enough time to eject and had no opportunity to use any countermeasures. "This means a new air defense system that is outside the classic routine," the officer said.
He also referred to the interception of an MQ-9 Reaper bearing serial number 261, saying the drone weighed 5 tons and was 20 meters long. "One of the main issues through which we were able to inflict defeat on the enemy was bringing down these types of drones," he said.
According to the officer, 171 airborne targets were hit during the 40-day war, including 10 manned aircraft. A large number of drones and cruise missiles were also hit.
The unjustified U.S.-Israeli aggression on Iran began on February 28. In response, the Iranian Armed Forces targeted sensitive American and Israeli targets throughout the region and restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz. 
After forty days of resistance, the enemies were forced to accept a ceasefire on April 8. On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to end all hostilities. However, Washington violated all provisions of the understanding, prompting Iran to deliver a firm response.