Key E-3 AWACS Damaged in Iranian Attack
airandspaceforces.com"Damaged" is a bit of an understatement, if the photos[0] are accurate (positions do look consistent between different photos so doesn't seem like AI to me)
0: https://xcancel.com/TheIntelFrog/status/2038062541511749953
The US had only 16 of these in total. It seems there is a second one also hit. Last year they had only 55% of the fleet available at any point in time. So they have now about six available now for operations...worldwide...
Much harder to coordinate air attacks without these.
The Oklahoman and Jerusalem Post are also reporting it was a total write off.
Iran has now released their own images from their satellites. Shows the U.S. Air Force E-3G Sentry AWACS aircraft damaged on the runway.
See update at bottom of the story: https://www.twz.com/air/images-purportedly-show-e-3-sentry-t...
Also reported damage to five refuel airplanes...
The back fell off, it's no big deal!
This but a scratch...
Damaged is an understatement, its aft section was completely destroyed and the plane is in two pieces. We only have like 20 E-3s, half of them can't even fly at any given time, and this one was sitting out on a runway like a sitting duck and we've had weeks to learn since those KC-130s got hit in a similar situation.
It's frustrating that we're constantly being lied to about what's actually happening.
$300,0000,000 phased array radar stations getting knocked out of commission by a $50,000 drone traveling at 140 MPH which a $20,000,000 SM-3 can't intercept.
Weeks of 8,000 airstrikes leading to "complete annihilation" but now we need more weeks to finish the job with energy prices skyrocketing.
Asymmetric warfare is a bitch.
I’m not an AF vet so I don’t have an idea, but what’s the over-under that the US injuries were the crew trying to get the plane ready to fly after the alert came in? I think the number of injuries lines up closely with expected crew compliment.
Was hit on the taxiway. See story update: https://www.twz.com/air/images-purportedly-show-e-3-sentry-t...
"Peace president succeeds again"
Seems to be the "Mule" in the Asimov Foundation scifi.