Images circulating online appear to show the destruction of a U.S. Air Force E-3G Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft following a reported Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft, identified in open source reporting as belonging to the 552nd Air Control Wing, appears to have suffered severe damage concentrated around the rear fuselage, where the E-3’s radar dome and associated surveillance systems are housed. That section contains critical components of the aircraft’s AN/APY-2 radar, central to its airborne command and control role.
Second angle. pic.twitter.com/NUupdRkdm9
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 29, 2026
If confirmed, the loss would represent a notable hit to a high-value intelligence and battle management asset.
The aircraft
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing, commonly referred to as AWACS. Based on the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications capabilities. The aircraft has been operated by the United States Air Force, NATO, France, Saudi Arabia and Chile, while the Royal Air Force retired its fleet in 2021. A total of 68 aircraft were built between 1977 and 1992.
The E-3’s primary role is to deliver real-time situational awareness and battle management. It supports joint and coalition operations by detecting, identifying and tracking airborne and maritime threats, while coordinating friendly forces. The aircraft can provide early warning of enemy activity and assist commanders in directing air operations, including interception, reconnaissance, airlift and close air support.
A defining feature of the E-3 is its rotating radar dome mounted above the fuselage. This system enables wide-area surveillance over land and sea, with the ability to detect targets at long range, including low-flying aircraft. Integrated identification systems help distinguish between friendly and hostile assets, while onboard computers process and display data to mission crews for operational decision-making.
The aircraft carries a flight crew of four and a mission crew typically ranging from 13 to 19 personnel. It is powered by four turbofan engines and has a maximum speed of around 460 knots, with a range of approximately 4,000 nautical miles. Endurance exceeds eight hours without refuelling, extending significantly with aerial refuelling or more efficient engine variants.
Donald must be wishing the war wasn’t won so soon as they might want to respond to this.
Now it begins. If this war is to continue as many experts predict, then the US will begin to lose many such assets.
If proof were needed, Iran can still deliver audiance when required. Sadly, the World is about to implode, and it could take our way of life with it.
Haven’t the Yanks pulled the plug on E7 Wedgetails as their satellites can do the job? Allegedly!
No E7s are back on the agenda,I think congress wouldn’t let them be cancelled,(open to correction of course)
Proof of why only buying 3 wedgetails is estúpido.
You beat me to it.
No sign of sny movement there?
The elephant in the room here is the Russians who are allegedly supplying targeting information from their satellites to the Iranians. It could of course be just blind luck on the Iranians part, but if it was a precision strike the Russians were almost certainly involved.
Somewhat concerningly the RAAF has responded to a request by the UAE to deploy one of our E7s to Al Minhad to help coordinate defence against incoming cruise missiles and drones. It will be less vulnerable in the air than on the ground and if the Russians are supplying real time targeting data it could be a prime target to send a message to US allies about committing assets to the conflict.
The level of blind luck in hitting an high value very low numbers aircraft 400-500 miles away is pretty astonishing… it could be but it’s usually better to assume the likely option.
That’ll buff out no problem.
T cut mate.
What weapons Mr Trump? I’m sure you told the world they didn’t have any.
P.S. Thanks for the tariffs, maybe be nice in the future and you’ll get more help.
America has become so f**king cocky that it thinks no one else even has the right to shoot back.
Imagine sticking such expensive irreplaceable planes out in the open just 400km from an active ballistic missile threat. Even the Russians were not that stupid. At these are the same clowns “preparing” for a war with China in the pacific. 🤦♂️
It’s the problem with the American military industrial complex. The solution to them of cheap ballistic missiles on airbases is a multi billion dollar system firing multi million dollar missiles.
The actual solution is a bit of 1940’s tech the basic protected aircraft hangar that can be built for a few tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands for larger planes
It’s been alleged that the Iranians had help from Russian intelligence. We are in an era where long range missiles and much cheaper drones can potentially destroy billion dollar radar stations, large ships in port or at sea, and expensive aircraft on previously believed ‘safe’ air bases.