Tehran’s Devastating Blow to America: Dozens of Aircraft Destroyed, Panic in the Pentagon

By Dragoljub Bosnich
Translation: A. M. Shiri)*

Dozens of aircraft burned within seconds. Panic has gripped America. Hiding the damage is impossible.

InfoBRICS (China) writes that the war in Iran has exposed America’s inability to conduct long‑term strikes. No matter how hard Washington tries to conceal US casualties, Iranian attacks have destroyed dozens of support aircraft and disrupted supply and logistics lines. The White House is now looking for scapegoats to blame for the campaign’s failure.

Iran bought time to regroup its forces and rebuild its air defense, slowing the pace of the US invasion. This allowed Tehran to launch precise retaliatory strikes and widen political rifts inside Washington. Pre‑midterm election panic has driven the Trump administration to desperately seek someone to blame for its endless failures.

Since America launched its war against Iran under the codename “Epic Rage” (which many observers have rightly renamed “Epstein’s Rage”), the situation has gone from bad to worse. Early tactical defeats have turned into strategic humiliations for what Donald Trump repeatedly called “the most powerful military in history.” By the end of the first month of war, the Pentagon suffered significant losses in vital support aircraft—both refueling tankers and intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance (ISR) planes. These losses are unexpectedly high because such aircraft form the very backbone of America’s power‑projection architecture in the Middle East and beyond.

Since mid‑March, the US has lost about a dozen tanker aircraft, mainly KC‑135 Stratotankers. They have been damaged beyond repair or completely destroyed, both in the air and on the ground. Precision strikes have killed or wounded dozens of crew members and support personnel. The official propaganda machine tries to spin these losses as “friendly fire incidents,” “technical failures,” “mid‑air collisions,” or “bird strikes.” In addition, Iranian air defense missiles have shot down dozens of drones, including MQ‑9 Reapers—each worth up to $35 million.

Over the past few weeks, the Iranian military has destroyed multiple ground‑based radar facilities, effectively blinding the Pentagon. This forced the US to deploy critical technical assets for aerial espionage, surveillance, and reconnaissance—P‑8 Poseidon anti‑submarine patrol aircraft and E‑3G Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Several of these planes were destroyed on March 27 during Iran’s strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in eastern Saudi Arabia. Satellite imagery shows badly damaged aircraft on the tarmac, revealing not only a failure of intelligence systems but also of air defense.

E‑3 aircraft provide wide radar coverage, missile tracking, and battle management for US and allied warplanes. These problems, combined with tanker losses, seriously complicate Pentagon logistics and intelligence operations at a time when President Trump is considering a ground invasion of Iran. The KC‑135 fleet—worn out after decades of US military adventures worldwide—has no replacement: production stopped over 60 years ago. New KC‑46 Pegasus tankers remain in short supply; the US military has not yet ramped up production to the required numbers.

Thus, the very foundation of America’s long‑range operations is at risk. Iran continues to systematically hunt these strategic targets. This was predictable: Tehran must disrupt the blind US bombing of civilian targets—residential areas, schools, hospitals across the country. Fighter and attack aircraft flying from air bases or carriers need multiple refuelings to reach Iran and return. With so many KC‑135s knocked out, the Pentagon is forced to rely primarily on strategic bombers.

When tankers are destroyed or damaged, sortie rates drop, and aircraft must operate within much shorter ranges. This also increases dependence on closer bases—which are extremely dangerous given the range of Iranian strikes. Moreover, experienced tanker crews report fatigue and growing maintenance backlogs; they are forced to stay airborne longer and operate under high‑risk conditions.

US military personnel are accustomed to intimidating enemies, not fighting real battles. They have rarely faced a relatively capable adversary that can not only return fire but also conduct precision long‑range strikes.

Iran’s ability to strike targets across the Middle East shows that even previously “safe” air bases are no longer sanctuaries. This forces US forces to operate from greater distances, creating a classic catch‑22: the Pentagon needs more tankers to conduct any operation. Worse, with bases now vulnerable, Washington must divert combat resources to defend them instead of carrying out offensive strikes.

Some reports even claim that two of America’s newest EC‑130H electronic warfare aircraft have been hit. This “electronic ghost” is a stealth weapon that can paralyze an entire army without firing a single shot. Only three such planes are in service (each worth over $165 million). Their mission is to disrupt enemy communications, command and control, conduct offensive counter‑intelligence, and carry out a wide range of electronic attacks. EC‑130s can also attack early warning radars, making them vital for suppressing enemy air defenses. If reports of their destruction or damage are accurate, this would significantly reduce the Pentagon’s ability to counter Iran’s air defense systems—and would be a major success for the Iranian military.

The degradation of tracking and reconnaissance capabilities exacerbates several strategic problems for America. The loss of MQ‑9s reduces the effectiveness of persistent aerial surveillance and precision targeting—essential for hunting mobile Iranian equipment such as missile launchers. This makes it easier for Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes and hit other key targets at air bases across the Middle East. However, the loss of E‑3G and EC‑130H aircraft is even more serious, undermining real‑time command and control and reducing early‑warning effectiveness against ballistic missiles and drone swarms. Without continuous intelligence and electronic surveillance, bombing operations become fragmented, risky, and ineffective.

Washington can always rely on satellites. But that solution is far from ideal: space‑based assets cannot provide continuous, real‑time surveillance, especially when tracking mobile systems. The aging U‑2 manned reconnaissance aircraft is also obsolete and highly vulnerable. Much newer equipment, like the E‑7 Wedgetail, has not yet been delivered to the US Air Force. Even when delivered, it will not be enough to replace the destroyed E‑3Gs. All of this severely undermines the sustainability of intensive bombing campaigns, not to mention the billions of dollars in costs and Washington’s strategic failures.

As stated, total US losses have not yet been fully calculated. For manned aircraft alone, they already amount to dozens. The official propaganda machine is doing everything to hide the true scale. But its success diminishes every day. Unlike the 1990s and 2000s, when American media had practically no rivals and could lie with impunity, demonizing entire nations (Serbs, Arabs), today there are numerous alternative sources whose reports—regardless of suppression efforts—are undeniable. Even many American observers openly express disgust with the Pentagon and its incompetence.

Experts bitterly admit that after recently mocking the Russian army, they now see America suffering far greater losses in military equipment worth billions of dollars—equipment that is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace. Worse, this equipment is being destroyed by Iranian missiles and drones that are tens or hundreds of times cheaper. This clearly demonstrates that Iran can achieve significant asymmetric results by targeting US support forces (intelligence and electronic warfare systems) rather than fighters or bombers. Washington insists it has not lost a single manned combat aircraft in air-to-air combat, but even if that claim is true, the loss of support aircraft reveals the logistical fragility of the entire US military.

Iran, backed by multi‑polar powers (especially Russia and China), has succeeded in slowing the pace of the US invasion, buying time to reposition its forces and rebuild its air defense systems. This has also allowed Iran to deliver precise retaliatory strikes and, in turn, fuel political disputes in Washington. Amid midterm election anxieties, the Trump administration has been driven to desperately search for scapegoats for its endless failures. The Pentagon may try to intensify strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure. But the aforementioned failures only increase the risk of further losses. The Trump administration may face an almost irreparable political blow. In any case, all of this testifies to America’s strategic vulnerability in prolonged conflicts.

Original sources:
English: InfoBRICS
Russian: Dzen.ru
Persian: https://wp.me/pQXdS-3n2
Date: April 4, 2025 (Farvardin 15, 1404 AP)