Inside Iran’s Strike That Destroyed a US E-3 AWACS
The E-3 AWACS has been America’s premier airborne early warning platform for over 30 years. It spots threats hundreds of miles away and alerts carrier strike groups in time to defend or counterattack. An Iran strike today shattered the aircraft’s irreplaceable radar dome. Each unit costs around $700 million and only 16 exist worldwide, with four deployed in the Middle East. The radar system is made by Northrop Grumman and has no spare production line. Reports suggest Russia supplied Iran with satellite and ground-based intelligence on US bases. Iran’s aim is clear: raise the price of continued US operations and force a strategic withdrawal. Without the E-3’s “eye in the sky,” US fighters must run their own radars, compromising stealth and reaction time.
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