Images circulating on social media appear to show significant damage to a U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft following an Iranian strike on a base in Saudi Arabia, though U.S. officials have not confirmed their authenticity.
The strike targeted Prince Sultan Air Base two days ago, wounding 15 American soldiers, including five seriously.
The images, shared by journalists from Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, appear to show heavy damage to the aircraft’s radar section, with the radar dome seen collapsed on the ground. The tail markings in the images match those of an E-3 Sentry, a key airborne warning and control system used by the U.S. military.
The aircraft, often described as the “eyes” of U.S. forces in the region, is used to detect and track missiles, drones and aircraft over long distances while providing real-time battlefield coordination.
A Wall Street Journal reporter noted that the apparent precision of the strike on the radar system could indicate the use of advanced targeting, possibly involving remotely operated drones or satellite intelligence.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia conducted satellite imaging of the Prince Sultan base three times in the days leading up to the attack and claimed he was “100%” certain Moscow shared intelligence with Iran. NBC reported his remarks.
The U.S. Air Force operates a limited fleet of about 30 E-3 aircraft, which are difficult to replace.
The attack also damaged U.S. refueling aircraft. Two KC-135 tankers sustained significant damage in the latest strike, according to reports. Earlier in the conflict, five additional refueling aircraft were damaged at the same base.
The strike reportedly involved six ballistic missiles and 29 drones.
A Wall Street Journal analysis published Saturday said U.S. military equipment worth billions of dollars has been damaged or destroyed since the start of the war, including aircraft, radar systems and other assets, due to Iranian strikes, crossfire and accidents.
A former Pentagon official estimated the cost of damage and replacement in the first three weeks of the war at between $1.4 billion and $2.9 billion. The higher estimate includes damage to a Qatari radar system deployed at a U.S. base in the region.