US media reports: Iran's damaged E3 is not one, but two.

【Article/Observer Net Huanchang】

On the 29th of this month, a series of photos that appeared on the internet confirmed that, during Iran’s retaliatory attack on Friday (March 27) using missiles and suicide drones against the Saudi Sultan Prince Air Force base, an American Air Force E-3 airborne early warning and control aircraft was hit and damaged, leaving the aircraft essentially beyond repair. Although the U.S. Central Command has not said a word about the matter to date, and although Iran had previously used AI-generated images to “make up” and publicize “battle outcomes,” in this case not only were there multiple photos from different angles with consistent details and satellite images cross-confirming each other, but several U.S. media outlets also cited sources that effectively “admitted” the relevant losses.

 

 

Although it was initially suspected to be another instance of Iran’s “AI battle outcome propaganda,” cross-confirmation from multiple photos taken from different angles and satellite imagery verified its authenticity

On March 30, the National Public Radio (National Public Radio, NPR) again reported, confirming that in Iran’s attack on the Sultan Prince Air Force base last Friday, the damaged E-3 airborne early warning and control aircraft was not one, but two. The report said, citing a U.S. official, that Iran’s attack caused “dozens of U.S. service members to be injured,” including several whose “injuries were serious,” and that the two E-3 airborne early warning and control aircraft were damaged. Because the official said they had “not been authorized to publicly discuss the matter,” the official requested anonymity.

That day, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted photos on social media showing the E-3 was destroyed, saying, “Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and regards it as a brother nation.” Iran said its actions targeted “those hostile aggressors who do not respect Arabs and Iranians, and who are unable to provide any security assurances.” “See what Iran has done to their ‘air command,’” it said, adding that, “It is time to drive the U.S. forces away.”

NPR’s report mentioned that, in the month since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, Iran had carried out large-scale retaliatory strikes against U.S.-Israel targets in nearby areas, especially U.S. military bases. The Pentagon’s “public data” claims that, as of now, U.S. forces had “13 people dead, and more than 300 injured,” many of whom “were only lightly injured and have already returned to their posts.”

After 2023, the entire E-3 series of airborne early warning and control aircraft within the U.S. Air Force inventory left only 16 aircraft. During this year’s airstrikes against Iran, at least “6 aircraft” were deployed at the Sultan Prince Air Force base in Saudi Arabia. Of the aircraft in the previously exposed attack photos, it was clearly one that could no longer be repaired, while the damage to the other aircraft was unclear. Given the E-3 fleet’s severe aging issues, damage to the two aircraft would make the U.S. Air Force’s available airborne early warning and control assets even more scarce.

**This article is an exclusive report by Observer Net. Without authorization, it may not be reproduced.**