U.S. Military Confirms All 6 Airmen Dead After KC-135 Crash in Western Iraq

U.S. Central Command and multiple news outlets confirmed that all six crew members aboard a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker that crashed in western Iraq have been killed.

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CENTCOM said the aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace on March 12 during Operation Epic Fury, and officials updated the death toll to six on Friday.

ABC 6

The military and press statements emphasize that an investigation into the circumstances is ongoing.

Officials and reporters said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft operating in friendly airspace; one aircraft went down while the second landed safely.

CENTCOM and U.S. military leaders told reporters the loss "was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," and that rescue and investigative efforts were under way.

Aerospace Global News

At the same time, at least one Iran-aligned militia umbrella group — the Islamic Resistance in Iraq — publicly claimed it had shot down the tanker, creating a contested account of responsibility that U.S. authorities dispute.

Reports and open-source aviation tracking indicate the KC-135 is a long-serving tanker that has been heavily used to support Operation Epic Fury; analysts and officials noted the type has been in service for decades.

“Central Command is aware of the loss of a U”

Aerospace Global News

Flight records and social-media images circulated showing KC-135 refuelling runs leaving from Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and one tanker returning with damage to its vertical stabilizer, suggesting a close-proximity mishap between two Stratotankers.

Aviation analysts and outlets said those images and tracking data are consistent with a collision or other catastrophic in-flight problem, though investigators have not reached a public conclusion.

The crash is one of several U.S. aircraft losses since Operation Epic Fury began, and it raised the American death toll in the campaign to at least 13 according to multiple reports.

News organizations and military spokespeople placed the tanker loss in the broader context of intense U.S. and allied strikes, earlier friendly-fire downings of F-15E fighters, and sustained combat and operational risk for aircrews supporting long-range missions.

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U.S. military leaders and officials stressed the ongoing investigation, expressed condolences, and said identities of the deceased would be withheld until families were notified.

“service members have been injured, including eight severely, the Pentagon said earlier this week”

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine said the KC-135 crash occurred "while the crew was on a combat mission," and CENTCOM reiterated that the cause remains under review.

AP News

Service branches have emphasised the standard next-of-kin notification process and the continuation of search, rescue and accident-investigation work as inquiries continue.