An American aerial refuelling jet has crashed in Iraq, amid Washington’s escalating conflict with Iran that has engulfed the Middle East in violence.
The US Air Force (USAF) Boeing KC-135 tanker went down in Iraq during the evening of 12 March local time. Little is known about the circumstances of the incident or the fate of the aircraft and crew.
US Central Command (), which is managing US combat operations in the Middle East, confirms the loss, but says it was not caused by ether hostile action or friendly fire.
“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” says. “Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.”
The presence of a second aircraft suggests there may have been some kind of catastrophic error or mechanical failure during an attempt at in-flight refuelling.
Central Command on 13 March confirmed the deaths of all personnel onboard the crashed tanker, after initially stating that a search and rescue effort was underway.
”All six crew members aboard a US KC-135 refuelling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased,” said in a post to X.
Four of the personnel onboard had been declared killed in action earlier in the day, while the fate of the remaining two individuals remained unknown.
The Middle East headquarters also confirmed its original conclusion that neither hostile or friendly fire was involved in the incident.
Open source flight tracking data indicates that multiple USAF KC- were operating over Iraq and Jordan in the evening hours of 12 March. It is not yet clear which was the incident aircraft.
Photos are circulating on social media showing a KC-135 (tail number 38017) on the ground with mangled vertical stabiliser, indicating the second incident aircraft was another Stratotanker. KC-135s are able to transfer fuel to other Stratotankers while in flight.
In recent weeks, hundreds of US combat jets and transport aircraft have been operating over the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean and the corridor toward key bases in Germany and the UK.
A number of long-range bomber sorties into Iranian airspace have also been conducted from both the UK and North America.
All that activity requires significant tanker support and round-the-clock refuelling operations to maintain the flow of combat operations. At least 20 USAF tanker aircraft were forward deployed to the Middle East at the end of February, according to the for Strategic and International Studies.
The crash marks the fourth US aircraft lost during the Iran air campaign, and potentially the first casualties among American aircrew.
Three Boeing F- strike fighters from the USAF were shot down earlier in the conflict, the result of friendly fire by either ground-based air defences or Kuwaiti fighters.
All six crew were able to safely eject from each of the two-seat American jets.
Story updated on 13 March with confirmation of six fatalities among the KC-135 crew.
