Iran last week destroyed a U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft, a $300 million platform that provides command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, according to reports.
The plane was destroyed in a missile attack and had been stationed at the Saudi Prince Sultan Air Base. Tankers were also damaged, and 10 service members were injured, including two seriously.
"The loss of this E-3 is incredibly problematic, given how crucial these battle managers are to everything from airspace deconfliction, aircraft deconfliction, targeting, and providing other lethal effects that the entire force needs for the battle space," Heather Penney, a former F-16 pilot and director of studies and research at AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Air and Space Forces Magazine.
The E-3 has played a key role in NATO operations in Libya, Afghanistan, and the fight against the Islamic State group, according to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance.
It is a modified Boeing 707 with long-range radar and sensors that enable it to "see" the battlespace and transmit data to commanders and warfighters in near-real time.
"It's a significant loss for the war in the short term," Kelly Grieco, a defense policy expert and senior fellow at the Stimson Center, told Air and Space Forces Magazine. "That has a consequence. There are going to be coverage gaps."
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran's energy resources and other vital infrastructure, including desalination plants that supply drinking water, if a deal to end the war is not reached "shortly."
Iran, meanwhile, struck a key water and power plant in Kuwait, and an oil refinery in Israel came under attack. Israel and the U.S. launched a new wave of strikes on Iran as the war raged with no end in sight.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had received a 15-point proposal from the Trump administration containing "excessive, unrealistic and irrational" demands, while denying there had been any direct talks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.