Iran Hits the Eyes of U.S. Airpower: The AWACS Strike That Exposed a Dangerous Gap

What Happened

On March 27, 2026, Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia — the most significant breach of American air defenses at the base since the war began on February 28, according to the Associated Press and PBS NewsHour, citing two people briefed on the matter.

At least 15 U.S. service members were injured in the attack, including five seriously, per PBS. Earlier reporting from Air & Space Forces Magazine cited at least 10 injured, with two seriously — figures that were later revised upward as assessments continued.

Among the aircraft damaged: a U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) command and control plane, and multiple KC-135 aerial refueling tankers. Air & Space Forces Magazine reviewed an image showing "significant damage" to an E-3 at the base. The publication reported that the extent of damage to the aging aircraft "likely renders it unrepairable."

U.S. Central Command has declined to comment on the specific aircraft damage.

Why the AWACS Loss Matters

The E-3 Sentry is not a frontline fighter — it is the battlefield brain that makes fighter operations coherent. Flying at altitude, the AWACS tracks all aircraft in a large radius, manages airspace deconfliction, identifies targets, and relays the overall tactical picture to commanders and pilots below. Without it, coordinating large air operations becomes substantially harder.

Before the March 27 attack, six E-3s had been stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base, according to open-source flight tracking data cited by Air & Space Forces Magazine. The total U.S. Air Force E-3 fleet has already been drawn down to just 16 aircraft as the service retires older planes. In fiscal year 2024, the E-3 fleet had a mission-capable rate of approximately 56 percent, meaning only about half could fly and execute their missions at any given time, per Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Losing one of 16 — particularly one actively supporting ongoing combat operations — is a materially significant reduction in capability.

Heather Penney, a former F-16 pilot and director of studies and research at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies of the Air & Space Forces Association, described the stakes in an interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine: "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."

Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, told the same outlet: "It's a significant loss for the war in the short term. That has a consequence. There are going to be coverage gaps."

A Pattern, Not a Lucky Shot

The AWACS strike was not an isolated event. Analysts say Iran appears to be executing a systematic campaign against U.S. command, control, and logistics assets.

"It seems like it is a deliberate campaign to go after the critical nodes," Grieco told Air & Space Forces Magazine, describing Iran's targeting of radar sites, communications infrastructure, tanker aircraft, and AWACS planes as an "asymmetric counter air campaign."

Prince Sultan Air Base had been attacked multiple times earlier in the same week. In one attack, 14 U.S. troops were injured; in another, no personnel were hurt but a U.S. aircraft was damaged, according to PBS NewsHour, citing anonymous officials. The base, located approximately 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, has been targeted repeatedly since the war began.

As of the March 27 attack, over 300 U.S. service members had been wounded in total during Operation Epic Fury, and 13 had been killed, per Air & Space Forces Magazine, citing U.S. officials. One soldier was killed in a previous attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in early March.

Iran's Diminished but Persistent Arsenal

The ability to strike a major U.S. air base with six ballistic missiles and 29 drones — despite weeks of sustained U.S. and Israeli airstrikes — underscores the resilience of Iran's remaining arsenal.

On March 25, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in a video statement that Iranian missile and drone launches were "down by more than 90 percent" compared to the start of the conflict. He also stated that the U.S. had "damaged or destroyed over two-thirds of Iran's missile, drone, and naval production facilities and shipyards" and described the campaign as being "on a path to completely eliminate Iran's wider military manufacturing apparatus," per Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Yet two days after those remarks, Iran executed one of its most damaging single strikes of the war. Even a degraded Iranian force, it appears, retains enough capability to conduct complex, multi-vector attacks on hardened targets.

Escalation on All Fronts: Day 29

The Prince Sultan attack occurred on the same day — March 28 — that the conflict passed its one-month mark and multiple new escalations unfolded simultaneously.

The USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, arrived in the Middle East, U.S. Central Command announced Saturday, as part of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group totaling about 3,500 sailors and Marines per CENTCOM — including approximately 2,200 Marines of the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, per Task & Purpose citing CENTCOM. The ship also carries transport and strike fighter aircraft and amphibious assault assets. Before the Tripoli's arrival, the U.S. had already deployed more than 50,000 troops to the region — the largest American military presence there in over 20 years — including two aircraft carrier strike groups, per PBS NewsHour.

Separately, the USS Boxer and two additional ships carrying another Marine Expeditionary Unit were ordered to the region from San Diego, according to PBS.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the United States can meet its objectives "without any ground troops," but added that President Trump "has to be prepared for multiple contingencies" and that American forces are available "to give the president maximum optionality," per PBS NewsHour.

Also on March 28, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a wave of cruise missiles and drones targeting Israel — their first declared military operation in support of Iran since the war began. The USS Tripoli deployment, a ground-assault-capable asset not needed for air campaign support, has fueled speculation in defense circles that the U.S. is positioning for potential ground operations, though no such orders have been publicly announced.

The War at Sea: Oman Drawn In

The same day as the Prince Sultan strike, two Iranian drones struck the Port of Salalah on Oman's Arabian Sea coast, damaging a container crane and injuring one foreign worker, according to Oman's official news agency. Oman called the attack "heinous" and suspended port operations while conducting a damage assessment.

Maersk, in a statement on its website, confirmed that none of its vessels or cargo were affected and estimated operations would be on hold for approximately 48 hours. Iran claimed it was targeting a U.S. military support vessel, saying the strike occurred more than 1,000 kilometers from the Iranian coast.

The Salalah attack carries significant strategic weight. Salalah handled over 3.3 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2024, per Maritime Executive. Since Hormuz became largely impassable for normal commercial traffic following the war's outbreak, Salalah has emerged as the primary bypass hub — absorbing cargo, bunkering, and logistics functions for Persian Gulf states that can no longer rely on direct Strait passage.

Shipping data firm Windward reported that Shanghai-to-Gulf spot rates rose 72 percent in a single week (approximately $1,327 to $2,287 per TEU) as of late March, reflecting the rerouting pressure. On March 12, Dubai Customs formalized the new logistics architecture with Notice No. 04/2026, establishing a "Green Corridor" between Oman and the UAE for cargo transiting around the Strait.

By targeting Salalah — Oman's key port and the region's last functioning major maritime gateway — Iran is attacking the bypass infrastructure that has kept Gulf economies partially operational. This was the second attack on Salalah; Iranian drones struck the port's fuel tanks on March 11, setting two ablaze and temporarily suspending operations before they resumed the following day.

Iran and Oman have historically maintained close diplomatic ties, with Oman having served as a neutral mediator between Tehran and Washington for decades, including hosting nuclear negotiations as recently as April 2025. By striking Omani soil twice in under three weeks, Iran has effectively ended that neutral relationship for the duration of the conflict.

The Historical Parallel

The E-3 Sentry was introduced into U.S. service in the late 1970s. It flew in Operation Desert Storm (1991), the Kosovo campaign (1999), and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has never been replaced with a more numerous successor platform — the Air Force's E-7A Wedgetail replacement program is still years from fielding a full fleet.

The E-3's 56 percent mission-capable rate in fiscal 2024 — meaning roughly half could fly at any given time before the war began — means the fleet was already strained before losing another airframe to combat damage. Unlike fighter jets, where losses can be partially absorbed by a larger inventory, the U.S. has no reserve pool of battle-ready AWACS aircraft to draw from.

The E-3 Sentry has not previously been lost to enemy action in its decades of combat service. No U.S. airborne command-and-control aircraft of this class has been documented as destroyed by hostile fire in recent memory — making this potential loss strategically significant beyond its immediate tactical impact.

What to Watch

Several questions remain unresolved as of March 29:

Aircraft damage extent: CENTCOM has declined to confirm specifics. The full picture of what was destroyed at Prince Sultan — and whether other aircraft were lost — remains unclear. Satellite imagery reviewed by Defence Security Asia suggests "at least one E-3G Sentry alongside several KC-135R tankers" may have been destroyed or disabled, though that assessment has not been independently confirmed by the U.S. military.

Ground operations: The arrival of amphibious assault assets — the Tripoli class is designed for ship-to-shore operations — alongside reports of Pentagon discussions about deploying up to 10,000 ground troops (per The Independent) suggests the U.S. is at minimum positioning for a broader ground contingency. Whether Trump authorizes such a deployment remains unknown.

Oman's response: Oman has historically refused to allow its territory to be used as a base for offensive operations against Iran. Whether the drone strikes on Salalah change that calculus — or push Muscat toward a more adversarial posture — could alter the war's diplomatic and logistical landscape significantly.