Marta Gichko15:57, 14.03.26

The damaged aircraft provided refueling for US and Israeli aircraft during operations in the Middle East.

An Iranian missile strike on a military airbase in Saudi Arabia damaged five U.S. Air Force tanker aircraft, The Wall Street Journal reported .

According to the publication, the planes were damaged, but not destroyed, and are currently undergoing repairs. There were no casualties among the servicemen.

The attack took place at Prince Sultan Air Base, where units of the Royal Saudi Air Force are stationed alongside US units. In particular, the 4th, 6th and 14th Air Wings are based there, which use support aircraft – tankers, reconnaissance aircraft and early warning radar aircraft.

The tankers play a vital role in the joint US-Israeli air operation, providing mid-air refueling for aircraft en route to and from Iran.

The basis of the American fleet of such aircraft is the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. In total, the United States has more than 380 such machines.

OSINT researcher Steffan Watkins noted that in recent weeks, up to 75% of the fleet of these aircraft have been in the air at the same time, indicating an extremely high intensity of their use.

(c)UNIAN 2026