The U.S. military confirmed Friday that all six crew members aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker were killed after the aircraft crashed in western Iraq the previous day.
“All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury.”
All Crew Members of U.S. KC-135 Loss in Iraq Confirmed Deceased
TAMPA, Fla. – All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 13, 2026
The aircraft went down at approximately 2:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. Two aircraft were involved in the incident, CENTCOM said, with one going down over western Iraq and the second landing safely.
Images posted online by Israeli public broadcaster Kann News showed the second KC-135 on the ground at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv with significant damage to the top of its tail fin.
The images, which have not been independently verified by SOFX, suggest the two aircraft made contact during the incident before one went down. U.S. officials have not commented on the extent of damage to the second aircraft or confirmed its exact landing location.
A better look at the partially sliced-off tail of the USAF KC-135 involved in the mid-air collision over Iraq yesterday, back on the ground in Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/Vll73nrr8G
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 13, 2026
Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed Friday that the crew was executing a combat mission over friendly territory at the time of the crash. The incident was not the result of hostile fire or friendly fire, CENTCOM said.
Central Command said the identities of the six crew members would not be released until 24 hours after their families have been notified.
The KC-135 Stratotanker is a Boeing-manufactured aerial refueling aircraft that has served as the backbone of U.S. Air Force tanker operations for more than six decades. The aircraft typically carries a crew of three to four members, though configurations vary by mission.
Video footage published by an Iraqi outlet which appears to show 2 HC-130J Combat King IIs with the U.S. Air Force, which specialize in Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), flying at low altitude tonight over Western Iraq, likely searching for the crash site of the KC-135… pic.twitter.com/FSSGKFsjW5
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 13, 2026
Operation Epic Fury is the U.S. military’s ongoing offensive against Iran. The operation has involved sustained air campaigns targeting Iranian military infrastructure, with U.S. officials stating that more than 6,000 targets inside Iran have been struck since operations began. The loss of the Stratotanker marks one of the most significant single-incident casualties of the operation to date.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway. Further details have not been released.
