A significant deployment of U.S. Military aircraft has been observed across the Middle East, marking the largest aerial concentration in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The build-up, which includes E-3 Sentry surveillance radar aircraft and cargo planes, comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions and regional instability.
The most powerful U.S. Air deployment to a single potential theater since the invasion of Iraq in 2003
Between 150 and 200 U.S. Aircraft of various types have been deployed to multiple bases throughout the Middle East, according to analyses from Le Grand Continent. What we have is being described as “the most powerful U.S. Air deployment to a single potential theater since the invasion of Iraq in 2003,” as also reported by the Wall Street Journal.
A fraction of the assets deployed by the United States during the 1991 Gulf War or the 2003 invasion of Iraq
However, the current deployment does not reach the scale of the 2003 operation in Iraq. The American newspaper noted, “As impressive as this deployment may seem, it represents only a fraction of the assets deployed by the United States during the 1991 Gulf War or the invasion of Iraq in 2003.” During the Gulf War, the U.S. Deployed six aircraft carriers to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Prior to that operation, the U.S. Air Force deployed entire squadrons of fighter aircraft, rather than the current deployment of flights.
In 2003, air forces totaled 1,663 aircraft, including 863 from the U.S. Air Force, 408 from the Navy, 372 from the Marine Corps, and 20 from the Army, according to archives from Air Force Magazine.
“The current situation is different,” the Wall Street Journal analysis states. “The U.S. Air Force is much smaller today, and Notice no U.S. Or allied ground forces to support. There is also no real international coalition, unless the Israeli Air Force joins the campaign.” The development underscores the complex and evolving security landscape in the Middle East.
Early in the development of airborne warning and control systems, the EC-137D was redesignated the E-3 Sentry, as noted by Air Power. The E-3 Sentry has been in service with the United States Air Force for over three decades, originally designed to overcome the limitations of ground-based radar systems. In February 2026, the Air Force also announced a new E-3 Sentry Intelligence Initial Qualification Course, according to Air Force News.
