AWACS is an airborne command center known as the Air Force's "crown jewel." It's an all-seeing eye in the sky that directs and protects U.S. forces in battle.
The destruction of the E-3—a command node for American air and ground operations—matters far more than the shootdown of a fighter jet or aerial tanker.
An AWACS from Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma was reportedly destroyed after a strike by Iran in Saudi Arabia.