March 30, 2026

Iran Shows the Emerging Crisis of the U.S. Airborne Battle Management Fleet

By: Philip Sheers

This article was originally published in Breaking Defense.

Whether responding to Russian or Iranian drone incursions, patrolling the Red Sea, or bolstering situational awareness off Venezuelan coastlines, airborne battle management (ABM) aircraft like the E-2s, E-3s, and E-7s are in high demand.

Operation Epic Fury has further highlighted ABM aircraft’s indispensable role: coordination in a congested and dynamic airspace, and an unmatched ability to identify and orchestrate responses to low-flying drones and cruise missiles. But the operation has also thrown the spotlight on the dilemmas of a limited fleet — even before an E-3 was reportedly damaged by Iranian weapons.

The ABM force structure crisis comes at an acute moment for US air operations.

While drone and cruise missile threats are abundant, the United States lacks enough available and updated ABM aircraft to support its defense priorities. Instead of resourcing solutions to this challenge, the Department of Defense has aggravated the issue by attempting to cancel future ABM systems in favor of unproven or unequal alternatives.

Without a change of approach, the United States risks under-resourcing one of its most important enablers at a time when the effectiveness of air operations is at a strategic premium.

Read the full article in Breaking Defense.

More from CNAS

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia