The US military has lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones (50% of active fleet, and 25% of entire fleet) during the conflict with Iran. Each costs $50 million. Reapers are heavily used for surveillance and strikes all over Iran. Reapers proved vulnerable to Iranian defenses (and some crashed from lost communications links due to EW). The US relies on them heavily because they are unmanned: they let forces conduct persistent ISR and strikes without risking pilots or high-value manned jets like the F-35. Generals have called the Reaper the wars "most valuable player".https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/13/us-military-has-lost-roughly-25-its-reaper-drones-iran-war-depletes-arsenal/The 358 is a jet-powered, radar-silent, IR-guided loitering munition credited for decimation of Reapers and also at least one confirmed F-35 hit. Solid-rocket booster launch + small turbojet (AMT Titan-derived) for sustained cruise. It loiters in figure-8 patterns using IIR seeker + optical/laser proximity fuse for passive, radar-silent terminal attack (10kg HE-frag warhead). Early hybrid missile-drone design blending expendable SAM with persistent loitering ambush capability against slow/medium UAVs - cheap, mobile, low-signature alternative to traditional radar-guided SAMs. Can shoot down targets at 15 km altitude or more.The 358 uses passive IIR seeker + laser proximity fuse - no radar emission at all, so it ignores F-35s radar stealth. It loiters at medium altitude until it detects heat signature (engines, exhaust plume). F-35s stealth reduces radar cross-section but not fully its IR signature, especially from rear/side or during maneuvers. At close range (< few km), IIR can lock. Success requires pre-positioned loiter in F-35s flight path + luck on aspect/altitude. Thats why this ultra-cheap drone-missile was able to hit/damage F-35 although it was not designed against jets, it was designed to kill MALE drones like Reapers or Bayraktars xD
>>540756939Lol, everyday you post bricks wundewaffe and everyday iran cannot destroy en masse american planes (still they winning tho strategically) and russia cannot take Krematorsk after almost 5 year of war.>you are bricks dellusional nigger, biggest prove on this board that Poland have retarded brownoids (yet still i think you're just vpn bot)
>>540757137>, everyday you post bricks wundewaffe and everyday iran cannot destroy en masse american planesBecause they avoid the Iranian airspace xD
>>540757165they have lost even more stuff to it... helicopters, ''stealth'' drones and cruise missiles, and minimally 4-7 f35 got damaged
>>540757558I wonder what the running price tags are like on both sides granted destroyed infrastructure is expensive, but I bet China is willing to rebuild it for cheap oil at record time after conflict is over
start looking around the MIC on the reasons why the high price tags.US casualties isn't measured in bodybags, it's in monetary loss.
>>540757137Go back to Banderastan, draft dodging shill
>>540756939Can onboard radar detect it and do flares work?
>>540756939The US GDP is like 30T lil bro. I'm sure they'll be fine
>>540758918It is a passive IR/EO-guided loitering SAM (no active radar seeker). RWR generally cannot detect it, as it emits no radar signals. Its small turbojet gives a minimal radar/IR signature. Flares have limited effect: its multi-lens IR array is designed to resist conventional heat decoys and flare countermeasures. Advanced imaging seekers further reduce flare effectiveness.
>>540756939>no radar emission at all,do other countries have this type of missile too? is it common tech or something special?
>>540759691It is smth special. First weapon of this kind.
>>540759710how long can it loiter for and what happens at the end of loitering time? does it just fall to the ground and not explode? does it land and is reused? do they only launch it if they know there is a target around?
>>540756939ok, pidor.
>>540759787>how long can it loiter for and what happens at the end of loitering time? does it just fall to the ground and not explode? does it land and is reused? do they only launch it if they know there is a target around?It loiters around an hour. When fuel runs out with no target, it simply crashes to the ground. It is a one-way expendable munition. The warhead (proximity-fuzed for aerial targets) typically does not detonate on ground impact. Operators often launch it into expected threat corridors rather than only against confirmed targets, it can hunt autonomously. Unit cost is extremely low estimated $30k making it highly cost-effective against multi-million-dollar MALE drones.Perfect weapon for countries without air force so operators dont need to care that this little beast kills their drones/jets during autonomous loitering xD
>>540760152>Perfect weapon for countries without air force so operators dont need to care that this little beast kills their drones/jets during autonomous loitering xDSandal-wearing Houthis shoot down $30-50M worth Saudi MALE drones thx to this weapon now - nonstop xD Iran shared the Product 358 with them recently.
>>540760152cool, very interesting.
>>540760361Unlike alot of other Islamic nations Iranians are actually intelligent, I think that's why Israel hates them so much.
>>540757718US military doing harm to its post 90s hegemonic era brand cannot even be measured in money, GCC countries above all understand now that the Americans care only about one player in the area and their defenses can be stripped away at a moment's notice. Iran can make money back with the strait since a ton of oil, LNG, sulfur and urea will continue to pass through it eventually, so if they can squeeze out the sanction relief from the US the price tag from the destroyed infrastructure is negligible compared to long-term profits. American arms manufacturers are peeing honey since all the used up stockpiles of overpriced munitions and fancy gadgets need to be rebuilt
xD
>>540756939>make aircraft slow and low>surprised that they get hit by minesLolMaybe try a blimp next time raytheon.
>>540756939The US lost 30x MQ-9's vs the Houthis. So total number of downed MQ-9's is actually 75x.
>>540760405I want to shame you for failing to understand this and needing to ask a slav about it.It should be very obvious how one would deploy a missile to hit a target they can't see.In fact it's so obvious your video games and simulations often "patch it out" because it's so easy and "unfun"Gods truth is too powerful for niggers like you. Always will be.
>>540763445Houthis use the same tech and they are taught how to use it by Iranian instructors
>>540757718Well considering the US have overpriced hardware + a shit ton of incerceptors + THAAD/PATRIOT RADARS + Early Warning ground Radars (big big ticket item here) vs Uhaul trucks with drones/ballistic missile launchers. There is nothing sophisticated about a ballistic missile launcher. The US also struck hardened targets so some infrastructure damage but that's cheap compared to the radars they took out on the beginning of the war in Western Iran but it's not exactly end of the world for Iran. Probably 10-20x in favor of Iran. Supposedly Iran has the capability to make 100-300 ballistic missiles a month according to Israel. So that pretty much kills any US hope to try and stockpile then attack again. Because on interceptors we are 5 years spent. On stand off missiles we only spent 2-3 years (slightly better). But we seen that Sahead drone do a nose dive on one of those US bases radars so that was like $10k vs $10-50mil (picrel)
>>540756939>50% of active fleet, and 25% of entire fleetYou guys just pulling these numbers out of your ass?
>>540763529but are they randomly firing missiles just because or do they wait until they suspect someone is coming? it's a fair question. is one group of guys given authority to shoot a $30k missile every hour "just incase"? i've never experienced any military so don't know how stupid or sensible they are.
houthis sank 57 carriers.
>>540765274They're not. None of this is true. The only people in this thread who actually understand how any of this works aren't sharing operational details because they have clearances.
Report the kremlinbot for spam, because that is what it is.
>>540760438Nobody is ever going to pay Iran a dime in protection money, you imbecile.
>>540765274They do not randomly fire them every hour kek. Product 358 is a loitering surface-to-air munition. Operators launch it into a designated patrol zone (often a known or suspected flight corridor for drones/helicopters) when intelligence, radar cues or patterns suggest targets may appear. It then orbits autonomously for 60 minutes searching with its IR/EO sensors.
>>540765446the pollack seems to be sharing sgt. johnson. >>540765687care to comment on your defeat?
>>540764618Pre-war US military MQ-9 inventory was reported as 185 (165 USAF + 20 USMC). Official figures treat this as the in-service/operational fleet. It means that Iran deatroyed 25% of _entire_ fleet. USAF supported 56 continuous combat lines after losses, you need x2 more drones to do this, so it means that Iran destroyed around 50% of active/operational fleet
