Due to a combined missile and drone attack by Iran on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, a US Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS airborne early warning and control aircraft was destroyed. This is reported by UNN with reference to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Details
According to the publication, 10 servicemen were wounded in the attack, two of them seriously. Several refueling aircraft were also damaged in the strike.
The destroyed airborne early warning aircraft was part of the 552nd Air Control Wing, based at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, the publication states.
This is the first combat loss of an E-3 aircraft in history. The US had only 16 such aircraft, and their production was discontinued in 1992. Its value is estimated at ~600 million dollars.
Recall
UNN reported that despite large-scale attacks by the US and Israel on its own military infrastructure, Iran is capable of launching missile strikes. At the same time, experts are assessing how long Tehran's weapons, production, and strategy reserves will last under the current constant attacks.
UNN also reported that in Iran, children as young as 12 years old began to be mobilized to man checkpoints and perform other duties during hostilities.