U.S. KC-135 Crashes in Iraq, Kills All Six Crew

U.S. Central Command announced that a KC-135 Stratotanker supporting operations against Iran crashed in western Iraq during Operation Epic Fury and that all six crew members aboard have been confirmed dead.

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The circumstances remain under investigation and the military said the loss was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.”

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Initial reporting showed confusion over the number of casualties and the condition of survivors, with some outlets first reporting four dead and others later updating the count to six.

Rescue efforts and searches continued in the desert region where the plane went down.

Aerospace Global News

Open-source flight tracking and imagery, and early investigative commentary, pointed to a probable mid-air collision between two KC-135s.

“Reuters reported that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, has claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft, though that assertion remains unsupported by publicly available evidence”

AeroTime

One aircraft reportedly squawked the international emergency code 7700, images showed heavy damage to a tanker’s vertical stabiliser, and analysts said the downed tanker may have been clipped by the other plane’s tail section.

The KC-135’s age and high operational tempo in Operation Epic Fury have been highlighted as contributing risk factors.

The Stratotanker has been a backbone of aerial refuelling for decades, is being gradually replaced by the KC-46A, and analysts note many airframes are more than 60 years old while the fleet is heavily tasked in the campaign.

Air & Space Forces Magazine

The crash is the latest in a string of U.S. aircraft losses and casualties tied to Operation Epic Fury.

“officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine that rescue efforts were ongoing and the situation was still unclear”

Air & Space Forces Magazine

CENTCOM and major outlets say the incident raises the U.S. death toll to at least 13, while armed groups allied to Iran claimed responsibility for downing the tanker even as U.S. officials maintain it was not due to hostile fire and investigators continue to examine the facts.

Air & Space Forces Magazine