Iran bombed a U.S. Air Force base in Saudi Arabia, destroying an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS), known as the "eye in the sky," and injuring 12 U.S. troops. This is the first time an E-3, which costs about $300 million (about 450 billion won) per aircraft, has been lost in combat.
On the 28th (local time), Bloomberg News and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia came under missile and drone attacks launched from Iran the previous day. As a result, one E-3 and three KC-134 aerial refueling planes deployed at the base were damaged.
The military outlet Military Watch said, "It is unprecedented for an E-3, one of the U.S. Air Force's most expensive strategic assets, to be destroyed." On social media, photos are spreading of an E-3 with its tail section severed and unable to fly.
Introduced in the late 1970s, the E-3 is a large strategic asset that gives an edge in air combat. With a rotating radar disc mounted above the fuselage, it boasts the ability to detect aircraft, missiles, and drones up to 650 kilometers away. It also performs the role of directing other combat aircraft. It was deployed in every war the United States has been involved in, including the Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bloomberg News noted, "Before this combat loss, all three E-3 losses were due to accidents," adding, "The U.S. military operates about 60 of them, so replacement is possible, but the expense of this loss is considerable." Since the war with Iran on the 28th of last month, there had been no instances of a manned aircraft being shot down by enemy fire. However, more than 13 MQ-9 Reaper attack drones are known to have been shot down.
The E-3 is a large military aircraft that is protected by escort fighters in the air but relies on a base's air defenses on the ground. Military Watch added that each time Iran attacked U.S. bases in the Gulf region, it attempted to destroy radar systems to increase the success rate of missile strikes.