Aviation

KC-135 goes down in western Iraq after mid-air incident during Operation Epic Fury

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KC-135 goes down in western Iraq after mid-air incident during Operation Epic Fury

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The KC-135 was reportedly lost after an incident involving another aircraft in friendly airspace; The second plane landed safely.

A KC-135 was lost during Operation Epic Fury, US Central Command announced on March 12, 2026.

Here is the statement issued by CENTCOM:

US Central Command is aware of the loss of a US KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two planes were involved in the incident. One of the planes crashed in western Iraq and the second landed safely.

This was not due to hostile or friendly fire.

More information will be available as the situation develops. We ask for continued patience as we gather additional details and provide clarity to service members’ families.

Many KC-135s are currently supporting Operation Epic Fury and some of them have been observed using the emergency transponder code while operating in Israeli airspace. It is currently unclear whether any of the planes tracked online squawking 7700 off the Israeli coast were involved in the incident.

This is the first loss of a Stratotanker in almost 13 years. In fact, on May 3, 2013, a KC-135 Stratotanker (KC-135R 63-8877) belonging to the 22 ARW (Air Refueling Wing) of McConnell Air Force Base It crashed in Kyrgyzstan, near Chaldovar, a town about 100 kilometers west of Manas, the departure airport.

According to CBS, the other plane involved in the midair incident was another KC-135.

Although official sources ruled out that the aircraft was lost due to friendly or enemy fire, several accounts on social media spread the news that the KC-135 was “shot down.”

Update 01:00 UTC

There is still no word from the United States on the status of the six crew members aboard the ill-fated plane. An image has emerged on social media of the second plane involved in the incident, listed on flight tracking websites as 63-8017, on the ground at Ben Gurion Airport with damage to the vertical stabilizer.

This damage reinforces widespread speculation of a mid-air collision.

Contrary to some reports, the aircraft involved do not appear to be the rare receiver-capable KC-135RT airframes. Some discussion of this issue arose based on the listing of 63-8017 as “KC-135R/T” in various databases. Instead of meaning that the aircraft is a KC-135RT, this is actually intended to mean that the aircraft is any a KC-135R or KC-135T: Images of 63-8017 available online show it lacks the refueling receptacle above the cab.

The exact identity of the incident aircraft is still unclear, but fuselages known to be active at the time indicate that it was also a KC-135R or KC-135T and not a KC-135RT.

Update 09:00 UTC

New photos now offer a closer look at the damage suffered by KC-135 63-8017, which is missing approximately 40% of the vertical stabilizer. Considering that the entire structure is 7.6 m (25 ft) long, the missing part is about 3 m (10 ft) long.

Officials have not yet provided new updates on the ongoing Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) effort. A video that appeared online, credited to an unspecified Iraqi outlet, appears to show what could be an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft flying at low altitude over western Iraq, possibly as part of the rescue mission.

Update 09:31 UTC

CENTCOM has now provided an update on the ongoing CSAR operation. A brief statement posted on social media said “four of the six crew members aboard the plane have been confirmed dead as rescue efforts continue.”

The command once again stressed that the “loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” adding that the circumstances of the incident are under investigation.

The statement also included a first indication of when the accident occurred, at approximately 2 pm ET, which is 6 pm UTC. This would put it within an hour of appearance on flight tracking websites of KC-135R 63-8017, which was squawking at 7700 as it entered Israeli airspace around 5:15 pm UTC.

Update 14:17 UTC

CENTCOM provided another update on the ongoing CSAR operation, confirming that all six crew members were killed in the crash.

This is a developing story, we will update it as soon as new details emerge.

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