USAF E-3 Sentry in Saudi Arabia, pre-Doomsday, 1983.
As of 1983, at least 500 American military advisors were in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, four USAF E-3 planes, also known as Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) and several aerial tankers had been stationed in the country for three years to provide early warning to the Saudi military in the event of an attack. Most of the nation's military equipment had been purchased from the west, especially the US.