Strana 26
were taken to a hospital for examination.
Several factors may have contributed to
the incident. Kuwaiti defenses were facing
a massive attack of Iranian missiles, drones,
and aircraft, and after more than 48 hours
of continuous alert, radar operators were
exhausted. The operation against Iran was also
accompanied by extensive electronic warfare,
and it is possible that identification systems on
U.S. aircraft were partially suppressed in such an
environment. Poor communication between U.S.
and Kuwaiti forces may also have contributed to
the misidentification.
Another loss occurred due to an accident.
Over western Iraq, in friendly airspace, two
KC-135R refueling aircraft collided on March 12.
One aircraft managed an emergency landing in
Tel Aviv, while the other broke apart in mid-air
and crashed, killing all six crew members.
Accidents also affected U.S. allies. On March
9, during a drone defense operation, a UAE
AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed due to
a technical failure, killing both crew members.
On March 21, Qatar lost a helicopter that crashed
into the sea due to technical issues, killing all
seven people on board.
On 21 March, the Qatari Air Force lost
a helicopter which crashed into the sea due to
a technical malfunction. All seven people on
board were killed: four Qatari pilots, one Turkish
soldier and two employees of a Turkish defence
contractor. While the type of helicopter was not
disclosed, given the number of people on board
it was likely either an NH90 or an AW139, both of
which are used by the Qatari Air Force.
E-3 Sentry destroyed
on the ground
Iran has focused its retaliation mainly
through drones and ballistic missiles, causing
further U.S. losses. In Saudi Arabia, Prince
Sultan Air Base was repeatedly targeted.
On March 13, five KC-135 aircraft were damaged
on the ground, though not severely.No one was
injured.
A more serious attack occurred on March 27,
when Iranian ballistic missiles and long-range
drones struck the base and destroyed a U.S.
Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and
control aircraft. This marked the first combat
loss in the long operational history of the type.
Shortly after the attack, reports indicated
three damaged aircraft and ten injured soldiers.
Later photographs showed the E-3G aircraft
almost completely destroyed. It belonged to
the 552nd Air Control Wing based at Tinker Air
Force Base in Oklahoma. Other damaged aircraft
included KC-135 and KC-46.
Before this, the U.S. Air Force had 16 E-3
aircraft. Six were deployed in the Middle East,
and 81-0005 was one of them. One aircraft is in
Japan and one in Alaska. The remaining eight are
undergoing maintenance. Therefore, the loss of
even one of them has serious implications for U.S.
air operations.
The E-3 Sentry first entered service in 1977.
Its primary operators are the United States and
NATO. A few of these aircraft are also operated by
France and Saudi Arabia. The United Kingdom has
already retired its fleet. There have been three
serious accidents involving the aircraft in the
past: two involving U.S. aircraft and one involving
a NATO aircraft. Two of these crashes resulted in
no casualties, but in 1995, all 24 people on board
died when the aircraft crashed in Alaska after
colliding with a flock of geese.
The first combat loss occurred 49 years
after the aircraft entered service. Photos of the
damaged aircraft have appeared on the Facebook
page ‚Air Force AMN/NCO/SNCO‘. They show that
the entire rear section of the fuselage, including
the radar, was destroyed.
It should be noted for the sake of completeness
that this is not the first combat loss of an AEW&C
An Israeli F-35I fighter jet. Source: IDF
The shooting down of three U.S. F-15E aircraft was
captured in several videos. Photo from open sources
An E-3 Sentry destroyed on the ground
in Saudi Arabia. Photo: FB / Air Force amn/nco/snco
A Qatari F-15QA fighter jet. Source: Wikimedia / Airwolfhound
OPERATION EPIC FURY
INFO Eduard26
May 2026