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A U.S. refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq within “friendly airspace” on Thursday, the New York Post reports.
“U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely,” U.S. Central Command said.
“This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” it added.
U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 12, 2026
More from the New York Post:
It is not immediately clear whether any US service members were killed or injured.
The KC-135 Stratotanker has been the US Air Force’s core refueling aircraft for more than 60 years — providing additional aerial support to the Navy, Marine Corps and allied nations’ aircraft, according to the US Air Force.
“Worth noting: the KC-135 fleet has had no parachutes onboard since 2008. The aircraft has no ejection seats,” Mario Nawfal wrote.
“The only way out is through a floor hatch behind the cockpit, and that only works if the plane is flying straight and level. If something went catastrophically wrong, the crew had no bailout option,” he added.
🚨🇺🇸🇮🇶 U.S. Air Force KC-135 refueling tanker crashes in western Iraq during Operation Epic Fury.
The aircraft reportedly carries a three-person crew.
Status unknown. Recovery underway.
A second aircraft was damaged but landed safely.
CENTCOM says no hostile or friendly fire… https://t.co/1ZekXPJgUa pic.twitter.com/9z4ZKnIAs6
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 12, 2026
The Guardian noted:
This is the fourth US aircraft downed since the US and Israel started carrying out strikes against Iran on 28 February. Earlier this month, three US air force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down in a “friendly fire” incident by Kuwait air defenses. All crew members in those jets ejected safely.
Seven US troops have been killed in the conflict in the US-Israeli war on Iran, while Reuters reported on Tuesday that as many as 150 US troops have been wounded. The death toll in Iran is more than 1,300, according to the country’s UN ambassador.