Sunday's published images reveal the complete destruction of a US Air Force E-3 AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System – a radar surveillance and battle management aircraft) at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia following an Iranian strike.
According to the documentation, the aircraft's fuselage was split in two, and its large radar dome was hurled to the ground by the explosion's force. Reports published Saturday stated that 12 soldiers were wounded in the attack and several additional tanker aircraft sustained damage.
The destruction of this aircraft, which manages the air battle space and provides commanders with a real-time picture of the battlefield, adds to the damage sustained by critical radar installations across the region since the operation began. The destroyed aircraft is part of a fleet of only 16, and the production line for this model was shuttered long ago. At least three aircraft of this model are operating as part of Operation Epic Fury, the US military's operation in the region, and the destruction of this aircraft will force the US to bring an additional plane to the area.
"This is a very big deal," retired US Air Force Colonel John Venable told the Wall Street Journal. "It hurts the ability of the US to see what's happening in the Gulf." Additional experts raised the possibility that the precise strike on the advanced aircraft was carried out using intelligence provided to Iran by an outside party, such as Russia or China.
Meanwhile, Iran has continued to threaten the United States as Tehran watches for an American ground assault on Iranian soil. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (speaker of the Iranian parliament and one of the most senior figures in the Islamic Republic) said, "Iran's armed forces are waiting for the arrival of the American military and are ready to punish the United States and its allies."
"The United States talks a great deal about negotiations and diplomacy, but is secretly working to prepare a ground attack against us," the senior Iranian official added. The New York Post reported Sunday that the US military has prepared a range of plans for ground operations on Iranian territory, coinciding with the arrival of the 31st MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit – a rapid-response amphibious force) in the region.
