USAF E-3 Sentry AWACS damaged in Iranian strike on Saudi air base

An Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 27, 2026, damaged a US Air Force E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft and several KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes, wounding at least 10 US service members.

Multiple refueling aircraft and an E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane were among the aircraft damaged in the strike.

Potentially unrepairable loss

According to preliminary assessments, an Iranian missile struck a building housing US personnel, while additional impacts hit the flight line where aircraft were parked. Photos posted on social media showed the extent of the damage to the US Air Force E-3G Sentry, serial number 81-0005.

If confirmed, the extent of the damage to the aging aircraft likely renders it unrepairable. Six E-3s had been stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base before the incident on March 27, 2026, according to open-source flight tracking data.

The loss would add pressure to an already strained fleet. The Air Force’s E-3 inventory had dwindled to 16 aircraft before the incident, with a mission-capable rate of roughly 56% in fiscal 2024. Losing one of the aircraft actively used in current operations could hamper the Air Force’s ability to manage the battlefield, airpower experts said.

Iran still capable despite reported degradation

Prince Sultan Air Base, located roughly 600 kilometers from the Iranian coast in the Saudi interior, serves as a key forward hub for US air operations in the Middle East. It regularly hosts tankers, AWACS, and intelligence aircraft supporting surveillance and strike coordination missions across the region.

The strike came days after CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated on March 25, 2026, that Iranian missile and drone launches had dropped by more than 90% since the start of the conflict on February 28, 2026, and that over two-thirds of Iran’s missile, drone, and naval production facilities had been damaged or destroyed. The attack on March 27, 2026, demonstrated that Iran retains the capability to strike high-value US assets despite those losses.

US officials have previously reported that more than 300 service members have been wounded during Operation Epic Fury, with 13 fatalities recorded, including a service member killed in an earlier attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in early March 2026.