An Iranian drone and missile attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 27 reportedly damaged multiple US aircraft and injured at least 10 personnel, with emerging evidence suggesting a US E-3 AWACS may have been destroyed.
The strike highlights vulnerabilities in US airbase defenses and the growing threat to critical surveillance assets, especially as the aging E-3 fleet remains limited and difficult to replace. TWZ writes:
Info is slowly dripping out as to the extent of the Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia that occurred on March 27th. Multiple U.S. military aircraft are reported to have been damaged. This is beyond the toll on U.S. service members, which sits at 10 injured, some of them critically. While high-resolution commercial satellite imagery of the Middle East from U.S. companies remains delayed for weeks, foreign satellite images purport to show major damage on the base’s main apron. Now, photos from ground level appear to show one of the USAF’s prized E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft totally destroyed.
The images were first posted on the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page and have since spread across social media. The photos show E-3 serial #81-0005’s rear fuselage totally burned out and destroyed. […]
Iran shows satellite image of destroyed U.S. Air Force E-3G Sentry AWACS aircraft at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base before and after Iran’s March 27 strike. https://t.co/ZmYHTAOJvh pic.twitter.com/9rK98rXT6S
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 29, 2026
When reached by TWZ for more information about the attack on Prince Sultan Air Base and the fate of the E-3, U.S. Central Command declined to comment.
Read more here.
