Strana 28
so they were destroyed on the ground and
replacement aircraft had to be flown in for the
evacuation. Similarly, four MD-6 Little Bird
helicopters were destroyed at this temporary
base to prevent them from falling into Iranian
hands. The E-3 Sentry entered service in 1977. Its
primary operators are the US and NATO. France
and Saudi Arabia also operate several units. The
UK has already retired its aircraft. There have
been three serious accidents in the past, two
involving US 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 “Air Force
AMN/NCO/SNCO” Facebook page. 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
aircraft worldwide. The Russian Air Force has lost
several Beriev A-50 aircraft in Ukraine. Two were
shot down by Ukrainian surface-to-air missiles
and several others were damaged on the ground.
Speaking of Ukraine—it has sent its specialists
to several countries in the Persian Gulf region,
where they have begun assisting with drone
defense. According to the latest reports, they
are also at Prince Sultan Air Base, helping the
Americans with a system for detecting and
destroying drones.
In subsequent Iranian attacks, air bases
in other countries in the region were also hit.
In the very first days, attacks were also directed
at the British Akrotiri base in Cyprus, but it is
unclear what damage was caused there. At Dubai
International Airport, several civilian aircraft
were damaged, including a giant Emirates Airbus
A380. In Kuwait, an Italian Air Force base was
struck on March 15. One Italian MQ-9 drone was
destroyed in the attack, and two Eurofighter
Typhoon fighter jets were damaged. It wasn’t just
long-range drones from Iran that carried out
attacks. Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq also used
small FPV drones against U.S. bases. In Baghdad,
a U.S. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was struck
in this manner on March 23, and on March 30,
an Iraqi Air Force Antonov An-32 was damaged
there as well. In Kuwait, CH-47 Chinook and
CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters were
destroyed on the ground on April 3. The U.S. and
Israel also suffered significant drone losses,
indicating both heavy use and the continued
effectiveness of Iranian air defenses. Israel lost
at least 19 drones, mostly Hermes types, while
the U.S. lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Submarine torpedo attack
The Iranian navy lost virtually all of its large
vessels. At the beginning of the conflict, its
largest ship—the drone carrier IRIS Shahid
Bagheri—was destroyed. It had only entered
service in February 2025 and was sunk just
a year later.
The IRIS Shahid Bagheri had been converted
from the container ship Perarin, which was
equipped with a ski-jump ramp at the bow. The
vessel was 240 meters long, had a displacement
of 41,000 tons, and could operate helicopters
and unmanned systems. This left Iran with
only fast boats at its disposal. However, it had
Wreckage of an F-15E shot down over Iran on April 3.
Photo from open sources
Wreckage of MC-130 aircraft and MD-6 helicopters
that the Americans destroyed on the ground in Iran
during their withdrawal after a successful rescue
operation on April 5. Photo from open sources
Attack on the vessel IRIS Shahid Bagheri. Photo from open sources
OPERATION EPIC FURY
INFO Eduard28
May 2026