‘Incredibly Problematic’ – Iran Destroys US AWACS Jet At Saudi Airbase

In a major feat that comes weeks after the White House claimed that Iran’s ballistic missile capability had been “functionally destroyed,” Iran has laid waste to one of only 16 American E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft in the world, sending $500 million worth of technology up in smoke and crimping the US military’s ability to maintain situational awareness. The same attack also “damaged” several aerial refueling tankers and added a dozen service members to the tally of more than 300 who’ve been wounded in the month-long US-Israeli war on Iran. Thirteen have been killed. 

In recent days, foreign satellite images showed what appeared to be major damage at Prince Sultan Air Base, a U.S. military base located in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.

The images show damage on the base’s main apron, which holds high-value aircraft. 

While high-resolution commercial satellite imagery of the region from U.S.-based geospatial companies will be delayed for days, if not weeks, new ground-level photos apparently show the aftermath of Iranian drone and missile strikes.

Images have emerged revealing that the Wall Street Journal’s initial report that the half-billion-dollar aircraft was merely “damaged” was an enormous understatement. Rather, a large portion of the fuselage has been obliterated, along with the distinctive 30-foot-diameter, 6-foot-thick rotating radar dome that’s mounted atop AWACS aircraft.  

The images of the destroyed E-3 Sentry were first posted on the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page:

According to military aviation aficionados, the identifier “OK 81-0005” — visible on the severed tail — confirms this particular aircraft was an E-3G named “Captain Planet,” which deployed to the Middle East theater from Oklahoma’s Tinker Air Force Base. It’s not clear if any of the recently-wounded service members were associated with the aircraft, which was destroyed in a missile-and-drone attack on PSAB. 

“The loss of this E-3 is incredibly problematic, given how crucial these battle managers are to everything from airspace deconfliction, aircraft deconfliction, targeting, and providing other lethal effects that the entire force needs for the battle space,” Heather Penney, a former F-16 pilot and director of studies and research at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. 

The destroyed E-3 was one of six stationed at the Saudi base and only 16 active craft in the entire Pentagon inventory — and all of them can’t even be counted on, on any given day:

The E-3 is aging, and its capabilities are falling behind those of some major adversaries. The Air Force’s E-3 fleet has dwindled down to 16 as the service retires less-capable planes. In fiscal 2024, E-3s had a mission-capable rate of about 56 percent, meaning a little more than half were able to fly and carry out their missions at any given time. — Air & Space Forces 

Despite its B-list status, earlier Iranian successes have elevated the E-3 Sentry’s importance. Iran reportedly damaged a $1.1 billion AN/FPS-132 radar at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — one of just six in the world — and blew up a nearly $500 million AN/TPY-2 THAAD radar at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. There’s reason to believe other radars suffered similar fates, thwarting US detection and response to incoming fire. The radars take years to replace. In the ultimate example of financially-asymmetric warfare, Iran may have used drones that cost between $10,000 to $30,000 each to inflict some or all of that damage. 

The AN/FPS-132 phased-array radar in Qatar was damaged by Iran.

Satellite imagery shows debris from the damaged radar face scattered across the roof of the main building, along with visible water runoff from firefighting efforts. pic.twitter.com/HvPEIwF4la

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) March 4, 2026

AWACS have figured in every major US military engagement since their debut in the 1970s.  Speaking of history…at a time when people like recently-resigned Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent are calling for President Trump to stand up to Israel and chart a new America-first course in this war and in the future, note that the AWACS played a central role in one of the few times an American president has rebuffed Israel’s attempts to steer US foreign policy.

In 1981, Israel and the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) mounted a fierce campaign to thwart an arms deal with Saudi Arabia, because it included AWACS. Israel and its US-based backers argued that the move would erode Israel’s military superiority in the region. President Reagan stood firm against the Israel/AIPAC backlash, calling a press conference in which he declared:

“While we must always take into account the vital interests of our allies, American security interests must remain our internal responsibility. It is not the business of other nations to make American foreign policy.” 

Reagan’s aggressive lobbying of legislators pushed the deal across the finish line. However, in an exasperating postscript, we must note that Reagan felt compelled to promise Israel another F-15 squadron and $600 million in credits to smooth things over. Alas, even when Israel was rebuffed, the conveyor belt that ceaselessly redistributes wealth from America to Israel ran only harder. 

The takeaway is that the Iranian strike on PSAB, which may have eliminated one E-3 from the USAF’s already tiny fleet, exposed weaknesses in U.S. counter-drone and counter-missile defenses, as well as broader battlespace awareness.

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