US Air Force refueling plane crashes over Iraq, at least five crew on board

By Haley Britzky, Brad Lendon, CNN

(CNN) — A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, a refueling aircraft, crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, the US military said, adding the incident was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire” but involved a second US tanker.

At least five crew members were aboard the tanker that went down, a US official told CNN. A statement from US Central Command said rescue efforts were ongoing but did not specify whether any US service members had been hurt or killed.

“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” the CENTCOM release said, using the name the Pentagon has given to US operations against Iran. “Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”

The CENTCOM release said more information would become available as “the situation develops” and asked for patience as more details were gathered “to provide clarity for the families of service members.”

Western Iraq is a sparsely populated mostly desert area. US and western forces in Iraq have come under fire from pro-Iran militias since the war with Iran broke out, but those attacks are mostly done by drones in the north of the country.

The KC-135 is effectively a flying gas station that allows aircraft to refuel in the sky to extend their range and remain within a battle zone for longer.

Its flight crew typically includes three to four service members, according to the Air Force: a pilot, a copilot and a boom operator, the person who refuels other aircraft mid-air. Some missions require navigators in the crew as well, an Air Force fact sheet said.

The jets can also be configured to carry cargo and medical patients.

The Air Force did not say what specific mission the jets involved in Thursday’s incident were performing.

The KC-135s are some of the oldest platforms in the US Air Force’s inventory, with the last unit delivered in 1965, according to an Air Force fact sheet.

The four-engine jets are based on the Boeing 707 passenger jet, with 376 units on active duty as of last year, according to a US congressional report. They have undergone significant upgrades over the years, including new engines.

The loss of the tanker is the fourth known aircraft loss in the war with Iran.

Last week, three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait in a mistaken friendly fire incident; all six crew members ejected safely.

This is a developing news story and will be updated.

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