More than half of the US refueling aircraft previously stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia have evacuated the base between July 7 and 10, according to reports. The move deepens the drawdown of American air assets in the region, which The Zioneer recently reported had already reached its lowest level since February.
A fresh report indicates that more than half of the US refueling aircraft that had been deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia left the base between July 7 and 10. The development deepens a broader drawdown of American air assets in the region. As The Zioneer reported on July 10, the US Air Force presence at Prince Sultan had already dropped to its lowest level since February, with the last E-3 AWACS departing earlier that week and only one E-11 and nine refuelers remaining. The evacuated tankers—whose exact number remains unspecified—were part of a force that had been built up earlier this year amid heightened US-Iran tensions. The batch source does not specify their new destination or the reasons for the move.
2 developments
- Developing15 US refueling aircraft leave Ben Gurion, transfer to regional bases
- DevelopingUS expected to relocate 20% of refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion; reports do not confirm 32-aircraft withdrawal
- StrongUS military to relocate ~20% of refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport ahead of Iran deal
- DevelopingUS aerial tankers switch transponders back on above Saudi Arabia
Source and signal
- Internal intake