All six crew members aboard a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft were killed Thursday after the plane went down in western Iraq during ongoing combat operations against Iran, U.S. Central Command confirmed Friday.
“The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM said, adding that the identities of the service members would not be released until after their families were notified.
“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
U.S. officials told CBS News they believe the incident may have involved a mid-air collision, though an investigation remains ongoing. Central Command said two aircraft were involved in the incident, which took place at approximately 2 p.m. local time. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, while the second landed safely.
The first plane went down near Turaibil, along the Iraqi-Jordanian border, according to an Iraqi intelligence source who spoke with CBS News.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the crash during a Friday news conference.
SEE ALSO: U.S. military refueling plane goes down while supporting Operation Epic Fury
“Bad things can happen,” Mr. Hegseth said. “American heroes, all of them.”
The crash brings the U.S. death toll in the Iran war to 13 as the conflict nears the two-week mark, including six service members killed in an Iranian strike on Kuwait and one killed in Saudi Arabia. The identities of the service members aboard the KC-135 are being withheld until 24 hours after their families are notified.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the downing, announcing that it shot down a U.S. Army KC-135 aircraft in western Iraq “with the appropriate weapon” — a claim that contradicts CENTCOM’s statement that the crash was not the result of hostile fire.
Fourth aircraft loss of the war
The KC-135 crash marks the fourth reported loss of a U.S. aircraft since the Iran war began. Last Monday, the U.S. military confirmed that three F-15E Strike Eagles were shot down in a friendly-fire incident involving Kuwait, though all six crew members safely ejected.
The incident appears to be the first crash of a KC-135 since 2013, when three crew members died in a mishap shortly after takeoff. Unlike fighter jets, the Stratotanker does not have ejection seats.
Mobility platforms like the KC-135 Stratotanker have surged to the Middle East to support ongoing operations against Iran, providing fuel to get aircraft across the Atlantic or extending time on station for jets striking Iranian targets. The KC-135 constitutes the backbone of the United States’ air refueling fleet. The Air Force is in the process of replacing the aging refueler, which debuted during the Eisenhower administration, with the newer Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, though military officials expect the Stratotanker will operate until 2050 or possibly even longer.
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