A significant Iranian missile and drone strike on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base has severely damaged a critical U.S. military surveillance aircraft.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the attack targeted a Boeing E-3 Sentry, an advanced Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) equipped with sophisticated radar capable of monitoring aircraft and missiles hundreds of kilometers away.
The Friday assault resulted in injuries to 12 U.S. service members and caused additional damage to several aerial refueling tankers stationed at the facility.
The loss of the E-3 Sentry presents a major operational challenge for the U.S. Air Force, which reportedly has only about 16 of these aircraft remaining in active service, down from an original fleet of nearly 30.
Replacing such specialized hardware is neither quick nor cheap; the proposed successor, the E-7 Wedgetail, carries an estimated price tag of approximately $700 million per unit. With no immediate alternative available, the damage to this high-tech radar plane marks a significant blow to regional aerial surveillance and command capabilities.
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