Multiple reporting outlets say the U.S. Air Force is losing a significant portion of its MQ-9 Reaper drone fleet in Middle East operations while replacement efforts remain unclear. The Washington Times reports that since the start of the Trump administration, the Air Force has lost nearly one-third of its MQ-9 Reaper drones used in the region. The coverage attributes the losses to combat and wartime operations, including losses tied to the ongoing Iran conflict. The reports add that there is no active production line currently in place to replace the lost drones and that officials from military, congressional, and defense industry circles describe an absence of a funded congressional plan specifically to restock the fleet. The outlets also note that more than two dozen drones have been lost in the Iran war context, underscoring the scale of the attrition. Overall, the reporting frames the situation as a supply-and-replacement question: analysts and officials raise concerns about whether replenishment actions can be executed quickly or comprehensively without additional manufacturing capacity and formal congressional funding.