US scrambles cold war-era AWACS as Iran blinds Israel by decimating $2.7 billion radar systems

The U.S. Air Force has surged operations of its E-3 “flying radar” AWACS aircraft across the Middle East after Iranian strikes reportedly destroyed key ground-based radar systems used by Israel and its allies. Reports say nearly $2.7 billion worth of high-value sensors, including AN/TPY-2 missile-defence radars and other early-warning systems, were knocked out during recent attacks. In response, U.S. E-3 aircraft are now flying intensive patrols over Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the Mediterranean to detect Iranian drones and missiles targeting Israel. However, defence experts warn the ageing Cold War-era AWACS fleet may struggle against modern low-observable threats such as Iran’s increasingly sophisticated Shahed drones.