Verified pictures show a US command and control aircraft has been destroyed at an air base in Saudi Arabia. The pictures appear to have been first shared by a Facebook page carrying US military news. They show the E-3 Sentry aircraft appears to have been split in two.
We've confirmed the photos were taken at the Prince Sultan air base about 100km (62 miles) south-east of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Features seen in the pictures, including pylons, storage units and markings on paved areas, matched with satellite imagery.
US Central Command has not yet publicly commented on the incident. On Friday, a US official told Reuters that 12 US personnel had been wounded, two of them seriously, in an Iranian military attack on the air base. The Wall Street Journal reported that at least two US refuelling aircraft were also damaged.
On Sunday, Iran's IRGC-linked Fars news agency claimed a Shahed drone had struck the E-3 aircraft. BBC Verify has also seen an E-3 in this location in a satellite image captured on 11 March. However, it is unclear if they are the same aircraft.
In one of the verified pictures, the aircraft's tail number is visible, and a flight-tracking site indicated it was airborne near the base on 18 March. A satellite image taken on Friday shows a fire on the air base apron, though it is not certain if this fire was part of the same attack that damaged the aircraft.
The Boeing E-3 Awacs - the acronym stands for Airborne Warning and Control System - is based on a Boeing 707 airliner and features a distinctive rotating radar disc mounted on its rear. This radar allows it to detect and track potential threats at significant ranges during combat operations, providing crucial information to commanders for maintaining control of air battles. The E-3 entered service in 1977 and is expected to remain operational with the USAF until 2035.
