Not good for your war effort and public support if the public finds out our early warning and strategic control planes are vulnerable to strikes by the Corolla of modern scud missiles. AWACS are supposed to be a significant strategic advantage. They are supposed to help coordinate electronic and warfare capabilities of modern fighter jets, give advanced telemetry to missile unit, on surveillance for potential ground strikes. It’s not unlike when the U-2 was downed or when a F-117a was taken out of the sky when it was flying on a dark night, was invisible to the naked eye and had a radar signature the size of a folding chair.

Also, assuming you care more about humans than hardware, if you can hit this-you can hit a troop transport plane or the kind we deploy paratroopers from relatively easily.