US bases in Middle East suffered systematic strikes on air defences, analysis shows

Iranian strikes across the Middle East methodically disabled American detection systems and air defences before hitting planes, barracks and maintenance facilities, according to an investigation by The Associated Press based on satellite imagery and regional officials.

The analysis determined that more than 115 missile and drone assaults carried out by Iran and its allied factions hit 26 bases and locations housing American equipment through August. The operations inflicted billions of dollars in equipment losses and altered the posture of United States forces in the region, with significant amounts of hardware and personnel subsequently withdrawn from the Gulf.

According to regional officials and imagery records, the opening wave of attacks focused on early-warning radar arrays and detection equipment designed to spot incoming fire. Enclosures shielding radar installations were struck in Bahrain and Kuwait during the earliest phase of the conflict, while mobile radar units were hit at sites in Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Among the damaged equipment was a rare radar system in Jordan valued at roughly half a billion dollars, alongside major damage to a radar installation in Qatar.

Defense analysts noted that dismantling these high-value sensors allowed Iranian weapons to penetrate deeper into bases during subsequent operations. Following the degradation of detection networks, strikes targeted aircraft hangars, storage warehouses, communications gear and living quarters.

Kuwait absorbed the largest volume of strikes. Ali Al Salem Air Base sustained at least 30 hits, resulting in the ruin or severe degradation of at least 15 hangars, storage areas and several facilities near residential quarters. At Camp Buehring, where fewer aircraft were parked, drones and missiles devastated dining facilities, a recreation building and the post store. The deadliest incident for American forces took place on March 1 at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait, where a drone assault killed six soldiers.

Damage was also confirmed at several other installations across Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. At Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, a strike impaired the rear fuselage of a Boeing E-3 Sentry surveillance plane and affected refueling tankers, alongside destroying troop barracks and dining halls. An updated review by the Congressional Research Service noted that 15 American aircraft had suffered damage across the region.

The US military has largely withheld public details regarding base destruction, frequently pointing to operational security considerations, while satellite firms with American contracts held back some aerial imagery. US Central Command declined to comment on the findings. However, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated that American personnel and bases remain thoroughly protected, adding that troops have the resources required to carry out their missions.

Security experts indicated that the widespread impact highlights the persistent vulnerability of major military installations to affordable, high-volume drone and missile tactics, raising difficult questions about future deployment footprints and the expense of rebuilding damaged infrastructure in the region.