The U.S. army says a KC-135 refuelling plane supporting operations in opposition to Iran crashed in western Iraq, killing 4 of its six crew members.
The U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Center East, mentioned the crash adopted an unspecified incident involving two plane in “pleasant airspace,” and that the opposite airplane landed safely.
Right here’s what is thought to date in regards to the tanker, which is the fourth publicly acknowledged U.S. plane to crash in the course of the warfare in opposition to Iran:
KC-135, a long-serving tanker airplane
The KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Pressure plane used to refuel different planes in midair, permitting them to journey longer distances and preserve operations longer with out touchdown. The airplane can also be used to move wounded personnel throughout medical evacuations or conduct surveillance missions, in accordance with army specialists.
Based mostly on the identical design because the Boeing 707 passenger airplane, the tanker has been in service for greater than 60 years, supporting the U.S. Air Pressure, Navy and Marine Corps in addition to allied plane, in accordance with an Air Pressure description. The getting older airplane is ready to be regularly phased out as extra of the next-generation KC-46A Pegasus tankers enter service.
Regardless of upgrades over time, the KC-135s’ age has fueled concern about their reliability and sturdiness.
“The final of those planes have been produced within the Sixties,” mentioned Yang Uk, a safety professional at South Korea’s Asan Institute for Coverage Research. He added that the transition to the KC-46A has progressed extra slowly than anticipated.
Get each day Nationwide information
Get each day Canada information delivered to your inbox so you may by no means miss the day’s prime tales.
Based on the Congressional Analysis Service, the Air Pressure final 12 months had 376 KC-135s, together with 151 on energetic responsibility, 163 within the Air Nationwide Guard and 62 within the Air Pressure Reserve.
A primary KC-135 crew has three folks: a pilot, co-pilot and increase operator. Nurses and medical technicians are added in aeromedical evacuation missions.
Refuelling usually occurs behind the airplane, the place the increase operator is positioned. A gasoline increase is lowered to attach with fighters, bombers or different plane. On most of the planes, the increase operator works mendacity face down whereas looking of a window on the underside of the airplane.
Some KC-135s may also refuel planes from pods on their wings. The tankers even have room to hold cargo or passengers if wanted.
Refuelling tankers might play an more and more vital function if the Iran warfare drags on, as U.S. plane might have to fly longer missions to pursue Iranian forces retreating deeper into the nation, mentioned Yang.
Trigger not instantly recognized
The U.S. Central Command mentioned 4 of the six crewmembers on board the crashed KC-135 have been confirmed useless and that rescue efforts are persevering with. It mentioned the circumstances of the crash are beneath investigation however that the lack of the plane was “not attributable to hostile or pleasant hearth.”
A U.S. official, who additionally spoke on situation of anonymity to debate the creating scenario, mentioned the opposite airplane concerned was additionally a KC-135. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., wrote on X that the opposite airplane landed safely in Israel.
Yang mentioned it could be uncommon for a refuelling tanker to be downed by enemy hearth as a result of such operations are normally carried out within the rear of fight zones.
The crash got here after three U.S. F-15E fighter jets have been mistakenly downed final week by pleasant Kuwaiti hearth.
KC-135s have beforehand been concerned in a number of deadly accidents. The newest occurred on Could 3, 2013, when a KC-135R crashed after takeoff south of Chaldovar, Kyrgyzstan, whereas supporting the warfare in Afghanistan.
In that crash, the crew skilled issues with the airplane’s rudder, in accordance with a U.S. Air Pressure investigation. Whereas they struggled to stabilize the airplane, the tail part broke away and the airplane exploded midair, killing all three crewmembers onboard.
Probably the most critical mid-air collision involving the airplane occurred in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs struck a tanker close to Palomares, Spain.
The accident brought about the tanker to crash, killing 4 onboard. The catastrophe led to an intensive decontamination effort to scrub up nuclear materials dispersed when typical explosives within the hydrogen bombs detonated after hitting the bottom.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
