WANA (Aug 21) – A U.S. Air Force Boeing E-3B Sentry Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACS) aircraft declared an in-flight emergency while operating over the Arabian Peninsula near the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, according to flight-tracking data.
Records show the aircraft appeared on radar systems at 22:40 GMT and squawked the international emergency code 7700.
Following the signal, the aircraft descended from an altitude of over 6,700 meters (22,000 feet) to approximately 5,400 meters (17,700 feet) before altering course westward, turning away from the airspace of the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz toward the interior of the region, Sputnik reported.
Concurrently, three U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tankers that had previously taken off from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar were operating in nearby airspace over the United Arab Emirates and the Strait of Hormuz, flying in circular holding patterns over UAE territory.
