'Incredibly Problematic' - Iran Destroys US AWACS Jet At Saudi Airbase

'Incredibly Problematic' - Iran Destroys US AWACS Jet At Saudi Airbase

TYLER DURDEN

In a major feat that comes weeks after the White House claimed that Iran's ballistic missile capability had been "functionally destroyed," Iran has laid waste to one of only 16 American E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft in the world, sending $500 million worth of technology up in smoke and crimping the US military's ability to maintain situational awareness. The same attack also "damaged" several aerial refueling tankersand added a dozen service members to the tally of more than 300 who've been wounded in the month-long US-Israeli war on Iran. Thirteen have been killed. 

In recent days, foreign satellite images showed what appeared to be major damage at Prince Sultan Air Base, a U.S. military base located in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.

The images show damage on the base's main apron, which holds high-value aircraft.

While high-resolution commercial satellite imagery of the region from U.S.-based geospatial companies will be delayed for days, if not weeks, new ground-level photos apparently show the aftermath of Iranian drone and missile strikes.

Images have emerged revealing that the Wall Street Journal's initial report that the half-billion-dollar aircraft was merely "damaged" was an enormous understatement. Rather, a large portion of the fuselage has been obliterated, along with the distinctive 30-foot-diameter, 6-foot-thick rotating radar dome that's mounted atop AWACS aircraft.

The images of the destroyed E-3 Sentry were first posted on the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page:

According to military aviation aficionados, the identifier "OK 81-0005" -- visible on the severed tail -- confirms this particular aircraft was an E-3G named "Captain Planet," which deployed to the Middle East theater from Oklahoma's Tinker Air Force Base. It's not clear if any of the recently-wounded service members were associated with the aircraft, which was destroyed in a missile-and-drone attack on PSAB. 

"The loss of this E-3 is incredibly problematic, given how crucial these battle managers are to everything from airspace deconfliction, aircraft deconfliction, targeting, and providing other lethal effects that the entire force needs for the battle space," Heather Penney, a former F-16 pilot and director of studies and research at AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Air & Space Forces Magazine. 

The destroyed E-3 was one of six stationed at the Saudi base and only 16 active craft in the entire Pentagon inventory -- and all of them can't even be counted on, on any given day:

The E-3 is aging, and its capabilities are falling behind those of some major adversaries. The Air Force’s E-3 fleet has dwindled down to 16 as the service retires less-capable planes. In fiscal 2024, E-3s had a mission-capable rate of about 56 percent, meaning a little more than half were able to fly and carry out their missions at any given time. -- Air & Space Forces 

Despite its B-list status, earlier Iranian successes have elevated the E-3 Sentry's importance. Iran reportedly damaged a $1.1 billion AN/FPS-132 radar at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar -- one of just six in the world -- and blew up a nearly $500 million AN/TPY-2 THAAD radar at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. There's reason to believe other radars suffered similar fates, thwarting US detection and response to incoming fire. The radars take years to replace. In the ultimate example of financially-asymmetric warfare, Iran may have used drones that cost between $10,000 to $30,000 each to inflict some or all of that damage. 

Iran demands immunity for Hezbollah, Houthis as Saudi Arabia pushes ‘ironclad guarantees’

Iran demands immunity for Hezbollah, Houthis as Saudi Arabia pushes ‘ironclad guarantees’

Lior Ben Ari

Talks between the United States and Iran have yet to begin, amid accusations in Tehran that Washington’s proposal for negotiations is a trap ahead of a possible ground invasion. Still, diplomatic efforts to end the war are intensifying.

Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt met Sunday in Islamabad as part of mediation efforts. Officials familiar with the discussions told Reuters the talks focused on ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil and gas supply passes and which Iran has effectively choked during the war.

Pakistan has emerged in recent days as a key intermediary in indirect contacts between Washington and Tehran, leveraging its ties with both sides. It was Pakistan that delivered the Trump administration’s 15-point plan to Iran, which includes demands Tehran considers unacceptable, such as banning uranium enrichment, limiting its missile program and ending support for terrorist organizations and militias across the Middle East.

Iranian officials have expressed suspicion that the proposal is a deception, pointing to a parallel U.S. military buildup in the region and reports of potential ground operations, including a possible move to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, to force Tehran to reopen the strait.

Hormuz proposals and regional concerns

According to five officials familiar with the talks, proposals discussed in Islamabad included plans submitted to Washington on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. A Pakistani official said Egypt had floated ideas allowing Iran to collect transit fees from ships, similar to the Suez Canal model.

Iran has in recent days insisted that postwar arrangements in Hormuz should not return to the status quo, seeking the right to charge tankers and vessels passing through the strait. Saudi Arabia has strongly opposed such proposals, fearing they would cement long-term Iranian dominance over the waterway.

Other proposals discussed included the creation of a regional consortium, potentially involving Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to manage oil traffic through the strait. Pakistani officials said the idea had been raised with both Washington and Tehran.

Deep divide over war terms

But the core disagreements remain stark.

According to officials cited by The Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia stressed that any agreement must include “ironclad guarantees” restricting Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and ending its support for terrorist groups and militias in the region.

Iran, however, has rejected any negotiations over its missile program. More significantly, Iranian officials have demanded that any agreement include guarantees that its regional proxies, including Hezbollah and the Houthis, will not be targeted by the United States or Israel.

Mediators expressed pessimism about the chances of reaching a ceasefire, saying prospects remain low as long as both sides maintain demands the other considers unacceptable.

The diplomatic efforts are unfolding under a deadline set by President Donald Trump, who has threatened to strike Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The ultimatum, already extended twice to allow negotiations, is now set to expire on April 6.

For now, there are no signs from Tehran of a willingness to compromise or even to enter formal talks.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a defiant warning Sunday, claiming that while the United States speaks publicly about negotiations, it is secretly preparing a ground attack.

Iranian forces, he said, are “waiting for American troops to arrive on the ground in order to set them ablaze and punish their regional partners forever.”

IDF says it’s striking Iranian regime targets in Tehran - Blackouts In Karaj And Tehran

Iranian minister confirms blackouts in parts of Tehran and in Karaj after strikes hit power grid

Electricity has been cut in parts of the Iranian capital Tehran and in Alborz province after attacks on the area’s infrastructure, Iran’s state media cites the country’s ministry of energy as saying.

Shrapnel hit a part of the electricity grid in Alborz province, causing power to be cut in several areas of Tehran and the city of Karaj. Authorities are working on reinstating it, state media adds.

IDF says it’s striking Iranian regime targets in Tehran

The Israeli Air Force is carrying out a wave of strikes in Tehran, the IDF says.

The military says it is striking Iranian regime sites, without providing further details.

The IDF’s announcement comes shortly after Iranian media reported that some areas of Tehran are experiencing electricity blackouts following airstrikes in the area.

IDF says its strikes in Tehran this morning targeted missile, weapons sites with over 120 bombs

During a wave of airstrikes in Tehran this morning, the Israeli Air Force bombed more Iranian weapon production sites, the military says.

The military says dozens of IAF fighter jets dropped over 120 bombs on the targets.

The IDF says the targets included a site where “essential” components for ballistic missiles were developed; a complex belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, used for research and development of ballistic missiles and satellite launchers; and a weapons research, development, and production site of the Iranian army.

Also, as part of the wave of strikes, the IAF struck ballistic missile storage and launch sites, and air defense systems, the military adds.

Iranian attack on Saudi air base heavily damages key US surveillance aircraft

Iranian attack on Saudi air base heavily damages key US surveillance aircraft

Emanuel Fabian

An important American early warning and control aircraft was heavily damaged in an Iranian attack on an airbase in Saudi Arabia, according to officials cited by The Wall Street Journal and footage posted online on Sunday.

Iran’s strike on the Prince Sultan Air Base on Friday damaged the Boeing E-3 Sentry, an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane that uses advanced radar to track aircraft and missiles from hundreds of kilometers away, providing commanders with a real-time picture of the battlefield from the air.

The Journal cited US and Arab officials as saying that an E-3 Sentry was among the aircraft damaged in the attack. Footage posted online also appeared to show a heavily damaged Boeing E-3 Sentry.

The US reportedly only had 16 operational E-3 Sentry planes before the attack on the airbase in Saudi Arabia, down from a fleet of around 30 decades ago.

The report said that the E-3 Sentry fleet has no easy replacements ready for service, and that the nearest replacement, the E-7 Wedgetail, is projected to cost $700 million.

The attack, involving at least one missile and several drones, wounded 12 US service members and damaged several refueling planes, according to Saturday reports.

Since the war with Iran began on February 28, more than 300 US service members have been wounded and 13 were killed in action.

In an interview with NBC on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that satellite images taken by Russia of the Prince Sultan Air Base were shared with Iran just days prior to the attack.

Zelensky said he was “100 percent” confident Russia was responsible for providing Iran with intelligence to help them target US forces across the Middle East.

“I think that it’s in Russia’s interest to help Iranians. And I don’t believe — I know — that they share information,” Zelenskyy said in the interview.

Zelensky shared with NBC a summary of the daily presidential briefing he receives from Ukraine’s spy agencies, which showed that Russian satellites took images of the airbase on March 20, March 23 and March 25. The successive photographs suggested an attack was being planned, he said in the interview.

“We know that if they make images once, they are preparing. If they make images a second time, it’s like a simulation. The third time it means that in one or two days, they will attack,” he said. NBC stated that its briefing with Zelensky did not include evidence of Russia’s satellite imagery or specify how Ukraine had acquired the intelligence.

The airbase was previously targeted by Iran, damaging but not destroying five US Air Force refueling planes on the ground, according to reports on March 14.

Over 3,500 US Troops Arrive In Middle East As Houthis Enter War

Over 3,500 US Troops Arrive In Middle East As Houthis Enter War

TYLER DURDEN

More than 3,500 U.S. troops, including the USS Tripoli with about 2,500 Marines, arrived in the Middle East, officials announced Saturday, as strikes in the Iran war intensified. The U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that the USS Tripoli, which serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived in its area of responsibility. 

Central Command said that in addition to the Marines, the Tripoli also brings transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault assets to the region. The USS Boxer and two other ships, along with another Marine Expeditionary Unit, have also been ordered to the region from San Diego.

The Tripoli is the most updated of the amphibious warships, known as a "big deck," which allows more room for F-35 Stealth Fighter Jets, Ospreys and other aircraft. The ship had previously been based in Japan when the order to deploy to the Middle East came almost two weeks ago.

The arrival of the U.S. troops in the region comes after at least 10 U.S. troops, including two who were seriously wounded, were injured when Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan air base.

Trump said that he has not decided whether to deploy troops in Iran but he has not ruled out the possibility and is stationing some 7,000 troops, including members of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Meanwhile, the US military said in a social media post on Saturday that it had struck more than 11,000 targets and destroyed more than 150 Iranian vessels since the conflict began.

Iran's Fars news agency reported explosions across several districts of Tehran early Saturday, including strikes near Mehrabad Airport west of the capital. It’s the main hub for domestic flights.

And while Trump says Iran should negotiate peace, he is also saying the US can continue with strikes on the Islamic Republic. On Friday, he said more than 3,500 targets remained in Iran and “that’ll be done pretty quickly.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday the United States can meet its objectives "without any ground troops." But he also said President Trump "has to be prepared for multiple contingencies" and that American forces are available "to give the president maximum optionality and maximum, opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge."

Major U.A.E. Aluminum Plant Damaged in Iranian Strike

Emirates Global Aluminium said its production plant at Al Taweelah sustained significant damage in an Iranian drone and missile attack on Abu Dhabi. Several employees were injured but no one died, the company said. The plant includes a smelter that produced 1.6 million metric tons of cast aluminum in 2025 and a refinery that supplies the smelter with alumina, the metal’s main ingredient. The company had substantial metal stock offshore when the war on Iran began last month as well as in some overseas locations, according to the statement. Emirates Global Aluminium is owned by Mubadala, an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, and the government of Dubai.

EGA is the Middle East’s largest aluminum producer and the biggest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, according to the company’s website. Kezad facilities make up the company’s biggest plant. An aluminum producer in Bahrain, known as Alba, cut production earlier this month because it couldn’t ship metal through the Strait of Hormuz. Norwegian company Norsk Hydro slowed output at its Qatalum smelter in Qatar.

Houthis Enter the War

The Houthis have finally entered the war, greatly raising the stakes on what's becoming a multi-front engagement, given Israel and Hezbollah have already been locked in a ground war in Lebanon. Overnight saw the Houthis send a barrage of missiles on Israel, which is the first such strike since the US began its Operation Epic Fury.

Military spokesman for the Houthis, Brigadier-General Yahya Saree, announced the attack on Saturday on the group's Al Masirah satellite television, Al Jazeera has confirmed. Strikes "will continue until the declared objectives are achieved... and until the aggression against all fronts of the resistance ceases," Saree said, confirming the Iran-aligned Yemeni group's entry into the war on Tehran's side.

The Israeli side confirmed the assault out of Yemen, saying that it intercepted one missile. This spells more bad news for global shipping through the other important regional energy and goods transit waterway, the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea. It will also make it even harder for Washington to try and wind down the conflict amid efforts to find an acceptable offramp. Interestingly, the Houthis are justifying their actions not just based on the US-Israel attack on Iran, but on assaults on populations in the broader region:

The group said the attack with a barrage of missiles came after continued targeting of infrastructure in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories, adding that their operations would continue until the "aggression" on all fronts ends.

Now Israelis will face aerial threats from Iranians, Hezbollah, Houthis, and Iraqi Shia paramilitaries...

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