Have any lessons been learned from US failures in the Iran war?
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- U.S. lost two AWACS aircraft (one destroyed, one possibly irreparable) and three F‑15 fighters in Iranian retaliatory strikes in February‑March 2024.
- Iran launched 16 attacks on US military installations across eight Middle Eastern nations, causing significant damage to aircraft, radar, and communications, according to satellite data.
- Saudi Arabia received six AWACS at Prince Sultan air base on 28 Feb 2024, a deployment later deemed a strategic blunder after one aircraft was destroyed.
- Kuwait’s Camp Buehring suffered substantial damage when an Iranian jet, missed by US air defenses, hit the base.
- Russia’s Beriev A‑50 AWACS fleet, a copy of the US E‑3, was previously targeted by NATO in the Ukraine war, highlighting the vulnerability of such platforms.
Why it matters: U.S. defense budget faces added strain as the loss of two AWACS and three F‑15s (total five high‑cost platforms) forces accelerated replacement, weakening regional deterrence.
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