>>24441443

Images Purportedly Show E-3 Sentry Totally Destroyed From Iranian Strike

A loss of an E-3 would be a major blow for the dwindling fleet of increasingly rickety airframes and would point to other capability and defensive gaps.

Info is slowly dripping out as to the extent of the Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia that occurred on March 27th. Multiple U.S. military aircraft are reported to have been damaged. This is beyond the toll on U.S. service members, which sits at 10 injured, some of critically. While high-resolution commercial satellite imagery of the Middle East from U.S. companies remains delayed for weeks, foreign satellite images purport to show major damage on the base’s main apron. Now, photos from ground level appears to show one of the USAF’s prizedE-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft totally destroyed.

The images were first posted on the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page and has since spread across social media. The photos show E-3 serial #81-0005’s rear fuselage totally burned out and destroyed. There is debris all around the aircraft. It’s worth noting that a direct strike, while certainly possible here, is often not required to destroy an aircraft. The shrapnel from a nearby impact can and especially if a fire is ignited. The attack reportedly included long-range one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles.

It’s important to note that we cannot confirm the authenticity of the images at this time, but they appear, at least after a cursory examination, to look authentic. This assessment could change and we will update this post if it does.

Satellite imagery from prior to when major U.S. commercial providers, specifically Plant Labs, began delaying photos of the Middle East, shows aircraft parked across the main apron and other high-value assets, like the E-3s, parked on isolated taxiways around the airfield. This is clearly an attempt to minimize damage from Iranian long-range weapons by spreading out the aircraft. It’s very possible these aircraft were shuffled around in order to make targeting more challenging.

At least five other tankers were also damaged in a strike on Prince Sultan Air Base earlier in the conflict. The installation, which sits outside of Riyadh, has come under repeated attack. It is a major operating location for American aircraft supporting the war effort.

The loss of an E-3 Sentry is a major development. The aircraft are critical for spotting incoming barrages and coordinating the air war. The U.S. sent six to the Middle East prior to the war beginning and additional airborne early assets may be headed that way, if they are not already in theater now. The U.S. only had 16 E-3s remaining, with the rickety fleet nearly cut in half as it struggles to maintain readiness in its old age. With low availability, far fewer than the 16 that remain in service are ready to operate at any given time.

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>>24441470

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The USAF wanted to migrate much of the airborne early warning tracking duties to a new space sensing layer, but that technology is still years away from operational maturity. The E-7 Wedgetail was ordered to provide an interim bridge solution to augment the E-3s and eventually take their place until a space sensing layer can take on at least most of the mission. The USAF then tried to cut the E-7 in its last budget and procure a handful of E-2D Hawkeyes as a less expensive interim solution. This bizarre move, which would have led to massive capability gaps at a time of increasing airborne early warning and control demand, has since been heavily disputed by congress and now the USAF’s E-7 program appears that it could be headed back on track. Still, the loss of one of the E-3s in a dwindling fleet, and now a delay in the already late to the party E-7 program, puts the U.S. in an increasingly concerning predicament.

Iran has been somewhat successful at targeting key radar installations around the region that enable America and its allies’ air defenses. The fact that they would target an E-3 should come as absolutely no surprise. As for how they acquired the targeting data, satellite imagery is still available from China and Russia is likely providing them imagery as well. There are many other ways to obtain time critical info like where aircraft are parked on a base that is from far far lower tech sources, including classic human intelligence.

The potential loss of the E-3 and possibly other aircraft in this attack, as well as others that have occurred in the war, on top of very troubling events back here at home, highlight the dire need for hardened airbase infrastructure. The Pentagon continues to drag its feet and downplay the need to invest in hardened aircraft shelters, even as the risk to aircraft on the ground has been made glaringly apparent by recent conflicts. There are signs this could possibly change, even if to a small degree, but there doesn’t seem to be much urgency behind doing so.

It also comes at a time when America’s most capable adversaries are dumping large sums of money into protecting their aircraft on the ground. Even in the Pacific, where a major war could break out with a near-peer competitor that is armed to the teeth with long-range weaponry, these improvements have been nearly non-existent. Only now, after Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, America’s largest in the region, has been repeatedly attacked during the war with Iran, has the Pentagon budged at exploring hardening some of its infrastructure there.

We will update this post when we find out more.

Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com

https://www.twz.com/air/images-purportedly-show-e-3-sentry-totally-destroyed-from-iranian-strike

>>24441443

Russia to supply Iran with shoulder-fired air defense system

Iran is looking to Russia to bolster its depleted air defenses after Iran’s June 2025 war with Israel and as it faces the largest US military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Financial Times reported on Sunday that the two regimes had struck a €495 million deal for Russia to supply “Verba” shoulder-mounted air defense systems to Iran. However, these defenses would be unlikely to significantly impact a possible US operation against the Islamic Republic.

Tehran formally requested the Verba in July after its 12-day war with Israel, and the two sides signed the contract in December, FT reported. During that war and in a pair of earlier strikes in 2024, Israeli forces destroyed or damaged many of Iran’s air defense systems, including its Russian-supplied S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile batteries.

The 9K333 Verba, whose NATO reporting name is SA-29 Gizmo, is Russia’s most advanced man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) in mass production. It can reportedly hit aircraft up to 6 kilometers away at altitudes of nearly 15,000 feet using the missile’s multi-spectral (ultraviolet, near-infrared, and mid-infrared) seeker.

The deal reportedly calls for Russia to supply 500 launch units, each equipped with “Mowgli-2” thermal imaging sights, along with 2,500 9M336 missiles. Deliveries will occur in three stages between 2027 and 2029, meaning they would arrive after a potential US operation targeting Iran.

One source familiar with the contract told the FT that a small number of the Verba MANPADS may already have been delivered. It is also possible that Russia could accelerate the delivery timeline by drawing on existing stocks, though Moscow would likely be hesitant to deprive its own forces fighting against Ukraine. Russian Il-76TD transport planes have flown to Iran at least four times since late December, but it is not known what cargo they were transporting.

Regardless, these systems are unlikely to have a decisive effect on a potential US military operation against the Islamic Republic. Iranian forces could use MANPADS to target some drones, helicopters, or other low-flying aircraft, which would complicate potential US air assaults or search-and-rescue missions. However, they would be of little help against fighter jets and bombers flying at higher altitudes.

Nevertheless, this contract is another example of how Moscow and Tehran have bolstered their ties since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago. In 2022, Iran began providing Russia with various unmanned aerial systems, most notably Shahed-136 one-way attack drones that Russia used mainly to strike critical infrastructure deep inside Ukraine. Iran also supplied Russia with artillery ammunition and other materiel, including close-range ballistic missiles in 2024, though the missiles have apparently yet to see combat.

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>>24441482

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Most significantly, Iran helped Russia localize production of the Shahed-136 at its new Alabuga drone manufacturing facility in Tatarstan. This capability has enabled Russia to mass-produce modified versions of the drone in far larger quantities than it had received from Iran, churning out several thousand per month between Alabuga and another factory.

In May, Moscow and Tehran finalized a 20-year Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, cementing a collaboration in “all spheres, including defense, counter-terrorism, energy, finance, transport, industry, agriculture, culture, science, and engineering.” Notably, the agreement did not include a mutual defense clause, absolving Russia of any obligation to defend Iran if it is attacked.

Russia’s lack of meaningful support for Iran during its 12-Day War with Israel did not go unnoticed in Tehran. Despite Iran’s significant contributions towards Russia’s war with Ukraine, Russia offered little more than a condemnation of Israel and the United States as they decimated Iran’s air defense capabilities, missile-production facilities, and nuclear facilities, as well as many of its top military leadership and nuclear scientists.

Al Arabiya quoted Mohammad Sadr, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, as stating that the “war proved the strategic alliance with Moscow is worthless.”

The latest collaboration may be Russia’s attempt prove that it’s still a worthwhile partner, even though it no longer depends on Iranian deliveries of drones to supply its military. News of the MANPADS deal comes after reports that Russia began delivering Mi-28NE attack helicopters to Iran in January, a big improvement over Iran’s aging pre-revolution AH-1 Cobras, which were provided by the United States in the 1970s.

Iran is also believed to have pursued a deal for Russian Su-35 “Flanker-E” multirole fighter jets. Whether that will happen is unclear, but Iran did begin receiving Russian Yak-130 training jets in 2023.

In recent weeks, Russian officials have spoken out in opposition to potential US military strikes on Iran, calling for all parties to show restraint. Last week, Russian and Chinese vessels joined Iran in naval exercises near the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. However, it is unlikely that Russia will intervene if US President Donald Trump decides to strike Iran.

Dmitriy Shapiro is a research analyst and editor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow Dmitriy on X @dmitriyshapiro.

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2026/02/russia-to-supply-iran-with-shoulder-fired-air-defense-system.php

>>24441443

Moon hit by massive object as NASA declares 'once-in-a-century event'

A routine scan of the Moon has revealed a fresh scar around the length of two football pitches laid end to end - as NASA continues with its Artemis 2 mission to return humans there

A massive new impact crater has been discovered on the Moon and scientists say it's the kind of event only seen once in a century.

The finding comes after a routine scan of images captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, which revealed a fresh scar stretching roughly 225 metres - about the length of two football pitches laid end to end.

While the Moon has been collecting impact craters for billions of years, the latest one stands out for its size.

Based on comparisons with surrounding lunar features, researchers estimate a crater of this size should only form once every 139 years, making the discovery exceptionally rare. It comes as NASA pushes ahead with plans to return humans to the Moon.

This includes the Artemis 2 mission, which plans to launch no sooner than April 1, 2026, and is set to carry four astronauts on a loop around the Moon. But the range and spread around the new crater has generated concern amongst scientists.

Since the Moon has no atmosphere to burn up objects, impacts like this eject vast amounts of rock and dust at high speeds, which is capable of creating hazardous conditions across a wide area.

Scientists have warned that any structures built on the Moon will need to be designed to withstand high-velocity debris, including particles travelling at roughly one kilometre per second.

The new crater appears to have formed on a boundary between the cratered lunar highlands and a wide, flat mare, which developed from liquid magma pooling on the moon's surface, planetary scientist Mark Robinson said at the Lunar and Planetary Sciences Meeting in The Woodlands, Texas, last week.

It is also surrounded by a blanket of rock and dust that splashed out in all directions - as far as hundreds of metres - when the impact occurred.

NASA previously delayed its Artemis 2 crewed moon mission - initially set to launch for 2024 - due to technical issues with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule, including a faulty helium system, hydrogen leaks, and safety concerns regarding the heat shield.

The mission will send four astronauts on a 10-day flight around the moon and back to Earth as soon as April 1.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/moon-hit-massive-object-nasa-36912933

>>24441456

>>24441499

>Kill netanyahu or* save the world?

i think yer confused, skippy…

ya used the wrong conjunction

>>24441443

NASA targets April Fool’s Day to launch trip closest to Moon in half a century

NASA is targeting April Fool’s Day to launch humankind’s voyage closest to the Moon in over a half a century, after the original mission was delayed in February 2026.

The US space agency announced on March 12, 2026, that the Artemis II space crew will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026, pending close-out of remaining open work.

All being well, on March 19, 2026, NASA staff plan to roll the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft to launch pad 39B, ready for liftoff.

The significance of the Artemis II mission cannot be understated, with the four crew members venturing further into deep space than anyone has gone before.

The Artemis II crew will fly by the lunar far side at an altitude of approximately 3,000 to 9,000 miles. There, they will test the Orion capsule and carry out crucial research that should pave the way for the first Moon landing since 1972.

“From this unique vantage point and environment, the Artemis II crew will work with scientists on Earth to facilitate science investigations to inform future human spaceflight missions,” an agency statement said.

According to NASA, the Space Launch System offers “more payload mass, volume, and departure energy than any other single rocket”.

Meanwhile, the Orion spacecraft will “serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry and sustain the crew on Artemis missions to the Moon and return them safely to Earth”.

Orion will fly two orbits of Earth and then venture around the Moon in a figure-eight pattern before returning to Earth.

NASA delayed the first launch in February 2026, after engineers encountered technical issues during a critical prelaunch test.

Technicians have accessed the launch vehicle stage adapter to inspect components that prevented helium from flowing to the upper stage, after a wet dress rehearsal on February 21, 2026.

“Engineers determined a seal in the quick disconnect, through which helium flows from the ground systems to the rocket, was obstructing the pathway,” NASA said. “The team removed the quick disconnect, reassembled the system, and began validating the repairs to the upper stage by running a reduced flow rate of helium through the mechanism to ensure the issue was resolved.”

The agency added: “Engineers are assessing what allowed the seal to become dislodged to prevent the issue from recurring.”

https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/nasa-april-fools-day-launch-moon-mission-artemis

>>24441515

>memberberry jingle in muh head

condolences

be moar careful what you let into your head

>>24441524

Я русский православный, товарищ…

На всякий случай, если вы запутались

i'm russian orthodox, comrade

in case yer confused

>>24441987

why settle for a still when you can get the full effect from a vid?

>>24441470

>>24441856

>>24441922

>>>24441897 Iran’s Broadcasting account MOCKS US Central Command fact checking posts with a fact check on themselves

funny how ANY report that contradicts the gov't bullshit that iran is being destroyed, is ignored by retarded (comped) bakers

riddle me this, bakewad…

if iran has been destroyed, who keeps launching wave after wave of missiles and drones (currently nearing 100th wave) that are decimating israel?

>>24442010

save yourself the trouble

USrael has destroyed iran

while suffering zero damage to tel aviv or haifa

that's the official party line

and no baker here has brains or balls to contradict it

>>24442049

>>24442007

>THATS SOME FAKE SHIT ANYWAYS RIGHT?

sure… sure…

anything you say, donard

>>24442164

>Wait What?! How did Benjamin Netanyahu know in 1995 that Islamists would bring down the World Trade Centre?

same way the FBI knew

same way larry silverstein knew

after the 1993 truck bomb in parking garage beneath the WTC

a few months later the FBI arrested sheik rahman in NJ

they found a handwritten journal with detailed plans for hijacking planes and flying them into the towers

THE ACTUAL JOURNAL WAS EVEN SHOWN ON "60 MINUTES"

the first thing "they" did was change FAA regulations and make it illegal for commercial pilots to carry sidearms in the cockpit

(almost all pilots are former AF and virtually all of them carried their service pistol on every flight)

then they ironed out the details of how to get military craft to make a close approach to a commercial jet, and spoof their transponder

which was necessary bcs they knew a commercial jet hitting the towers would crush like an empty beer can on john belushi's head

then the needed to transfer ownership of the towers and take out ridiculous insurance policies specifically against "terrorist attack"

finally, they needed their cia/mosssad moles in the middle east to find some fanatical suicide bombers to pose as hijackers

the rest, as they say, is a matter of "official record"