Iran strike cripples US spy capability in Saudi base attack

RIYADH: The Iranian attack on a key military base in Saudi Arabia has destroyed the US Air Force’s highly sensitive E-300 spy plane, images of which have also emerged.

In these images, the plane’s radar dome is seen falling to the ground and its structure is badly damaged.

Although US officials have not yet officially confirmed these images, the American newspaper ‘Wall Street Journal’ has quoted experts as saying that the markings on the plane are of the same specific American system that is considered the ‘eye of American forces’ during the war.

Two days ago, 15 American soldiers were injured in the attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, five of whom are said to be in critical condition.

According to US media, the special thing about this attack was that it targeted the plane’s radar system with great skill, which indicates that accurate information obtained through drones or satellites was used for the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia had taken satellite images of the military base three times before the attack and believes that this information was provided to Iran.

According to Fox News, not only the spy plane but also two large tanker aircraft supplying fuel were severely damaged in the attack. Five refueling planes have been destroyed at the same base before.

According to the report, 6 ballistic missiles and 29 drones were used in the operation.

The US Air Force has only about 30 of these types of spy planes and replacing them with new planes is a difficult and time-consuming process.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, billions of dollars worth of US military equipment has been destroyed or disabled since the start of the war.

A former Pentagon official estimates that the cost of damage and aircraft replacement in the first three weeks of the war could be between $1.4 billion and $2.9 billion. The damage also includes a Qatari radar system that was installed at a US base in the region.