Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force/Christopher Okula)
A KC-46 Pegasus aircraft of the United States Air Force was destroyed in the March 27 Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, a satellite image shared by aviation journalist Babak Taghvaee on April 8 revealed.
Prince Sultan, located in the heart of the kingdom, has been serving as a major hub for American aerial operations against Iran.
The Pegasus is an aerial refueling and strategic transport aircraft developed by Boeing from its 767 jet airliner. It entered service first in 2013. The price of the aircraft is not public, but it is estimated to be anywhere from over $100 million, to just under $300 million.
The latest satellite image from Prince Sultan revealed that at least one Pegasus was destroyed there. The aircraft lost its entire nose section.
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) April 7, 2026
The same Iranian missile and drone attack destroyed an U.S. Air Force E-3G Sentry airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and damaged another. An older KC-135 Stratotanker was also destroyed. Several other aircraft were damaged, although details remain scarce.
In addition to these material losses, the attack on the air base wounded at least 15 American troops, including five seriously.
Prince Sultan was targeted several more times before the U.S. and Iran agreed on a two-week ceasefire on April 7. American losses at the air base may be worth well over half a billion dollars. Furthermore, the loss of the E-3Gs likely had a direct impact on American aerial operations against the Islamic Republic.
Both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have clearly both failed to protect the key air base, just 96 kilometers away from the capital, Riyadh.
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k-e-r-b-o-o-m! coconuts all round!
good shot iran. one less usaf tanker to fuel combat aircraft, that should curb their illegal bombing raids.
fake news!