A KC-135 Stratotanker flies over northern Alaska, Mar. 4, 2026. Four crew members are dead following a KC-135 crash in western Iraq, U.S. Central Command said Friday. (Department of Defense)
All six crew members who were aboard an Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker that crashed in western Iraq have been confirmed dead, U.S. Central Command said Friday.
The command said the identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified.
The refueler went down in friendly airspace at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday. The circumstances of the crash are still under investigation, but CENTCOM said it was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.
Including the tanker crew, 13 service members have now been killed as part of Operation Epic Fury.
Six Army reservists assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) were killed in a drone attack in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on the second day of Operation Epic Fury. Another soldier, Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
The tanker is the fourth U.S. aircraft reported lost since the conflict with Iran began. Three F-15s were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti forces in a friendly fire incident on March 1.
The KC-135, built by Boeing, is flown by the Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard. It can carry up to 200,000 pounds of fuel and typically operates with a crew of three: a pilot, copilot and boom operator.
This report will be updated.
