An Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 27, 2026, damaged a U.S. Air Force E-3G Sentry AWACS aircraft, serial number 81-0005, along with multiple KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes, injuring at least 10 service members, two seriously.
Preliminary assessments indicate the strike hit a building housing U.S. personnel and the flight line where aircraft were parked. Photos shared on social media by @TheIntelFrog on March 29 show extensive damage to the E-3G’s rear fuselage, with the radar dome destroyed and debris scattered around, suggesting the aging airframe may be unrepairable.
Open-source flight tracking data from March 21, posted by @steffanwatkins, confirm six E-3s were stationed at the base prior to the attack, including 81-0005. The U.S. Air Force’s E-3 fleet numbered 16 aircraft before the incident, with a fiscal 2024 mission-capable rate of about 56 percent.
Prince Sultan, located 600 kilometers from the Iranian coast, hosts tankers, AWACS, and intelligence aircraft for Middle East surveillance and strike coordination. The attack occurred days after CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper reported on March 25 that Iranian missile and drone launches had fallen over 90 percent since the February 28 conflict start, with two-thirds of Iran’s production facilities damaged or destroyed.
Operation Epic Fury has wounded over 300 U.S. service members and caused 13 fatalities, including one from an earlier March strike at the base. Experts note the potential loss hampers battlefield management and airspace coordination.