The aircraft used by the United States during the rescue mission in Iran and later destroyed cost more than $ 100 million, the Wall Street Journal and TRT World reported on Sunday, citing US military data.
The MC-130J aircraft were used in an operation to rescue crew members of a downed F-15E fighter jet, including a second crew member who was successfully rescued.
According to the US Air Force Special Operations Command, the MC-130J is designed for hostile environments and can be refueled in the air.
The aircraft is also equipped with advanced defensive systems, including sensors to counter air defense threats such as heat-seeking missiles.
A U.S. official said the U.S. had destroyed two of its MC-130J aircraft during the rescue mission, without providing details on how the planes were lost, according to the report.
However, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement released Sunday that its forces had destroyed "enemy flying objects" that had entered central parts of the country during what it described as a failed rescue attempt.
Photos released by Iranian officials appear to show the wreckage of at least one aircraft.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf said in a post on social media:
"If the United States achieve three more such victories, they will be completely destroyed."
Iranian officials also claimed that additional aircraft, including helicopters and a transport plane, were destroyed during the U.S. rescue operation, although these claims have not been independently verified.
As a reminder, U.S. special operations forces on Saturday rescued the second crew member of an F-15 fighter jet shot down over Iran.
The rescue operation was the culmination of a tense 36-hour operation in southwestern Iran, where U.S. forces and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were trying to reach the missing American officer.