Iranian Strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in March Damaged Saudi RE-3A

An Iranian strike severely damaged an RE-3A surveillance aircraft of the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Satellite imagery published by X user Egypt’s Intel Observer shows this.

The strike on the air base took place in March 2026 during the intense phase of the U.S. Operation Epic Fury.

The satellite imagery also shows traces of fires at the sites where U.S. aircraft were destroyed. In addition, several U.S. military infrastructure facilities at the base were damaged.

The RE-3A is a specialized Royal Saudi Air Force surveillance aircraft based on the Boeing 707 and used for surveillance missions.

Saudi Arabia is known to have only one such aircraft.

The post’s author also noted that the damaged Saudi aircraft was at the same air base where U.S. E-3G Sentry and KC-135R aircraft were destroyed during the Iranian strike.

Overall, during Operation Epic Fury and after its official conclusion, the United States lost about 50 aircraft.

These included two KC-135s, four F-15Es, two MC-130Js, four MH-6s, one E-3G Sentry, and one A-10C that was effectively written off after sustaining combat damage. Several other aircraft were damaged, including an F-35A and an A-10C.

Unmanned aviation suffered the largest losses: according to the Pentagon, up to 30 MQ-9A Reapers were destroyed during the operation.

Militarnyi previously reported that the United Kingdom would provide additional military assistance to Saudi Arabia to protect against air attacks by Yemeni Houthis.

The additional aircraft will provide aerial refueling for Saudi fighter jets involved in repelling missile and drone attacks.