KABUL: Iranian media have reported that a U.S. Air Force Boeing E-3G Sentry AWACS aircraft was destroyed in a missile strike on the Al-Kharj airbase in Saudi Arabia.
According to Fars News Agency on Sunday, the missile struck a critical section of the aircraft near its tail, where key surveillance systems, including the AN/APY-2 radar, are located.
The report said the aircraft, identified with registration number 81-0005, belonged to the U.S. Air Force’s 552nd Air Control Wing based at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is considered one of the world’s most important airborne early warning and control (AWACS) platforms.
There has been no immediate confirmation from U.S. officials regarding the claim.