US Forces at Saudi Air Base Suffer Iranian Attack

Multiple American service members were wounded and some aircraft were damaged in a March 27 Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Around 10 service members were wounded, two seriously, according to initial reports.

An Iranian missile struck the base, injuring the service members. Multiple drones were also used in the attack.

A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command declined to comment.

Multiple refueling aircraft and an E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane are among the aircraft damaged, according to preliminary information. A photo showed significant damage to an E-3, but the image could not be independently confirmed.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said March 25 that Iranian missile and drone launches were down by more than 90 percent since the start of the conflict on Feb. 28.

“We have damaged or destroyed over two-thirds of Iran’s missile, drone, and naval production facilities and shipyards,” Cooper said in a video statement. “We are on a path to completely eliminate Iran’s wider military manufacturing apparatus.”

But Iran remains capable of launching missiles as this episode shows and continues to attack key U.S. bases and targets across the region even with diminishing assets.

Prince Sultan Air Base is an important U.S. military hub in the Middle East and hosts an array of aircraft supporting operations against Iran.

Over 300 service members have been wounded so far in Operation Epic Fury, according to U.S. officials. Thirteen service members have been killed, including a Soldier at Prince Sultan Air Base during a previous attack on the base in early March.

This is a developing story and will be updated.