Air Force refueling tanker goes down in Iraq; rescue efforts underway

Two military fighter jets trail a large refueling plane, with a hose connecting one of the jets to the plane, as they travel through the air, with blue sky and white clouds in the background.

A KC-135 Stratotanker conducts an in-flight refueling of an F-22 Raptor during an exercise over the Pacific Ocean on Jan. 16, 2026. (Mary Greenwood/U.S. Air National Guard)

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq during an incident involving another aircraft, the U.S. military said Thursday as search-and-rescue efforts continued for the crew.

The refueler went down in friendly airspace and its loss was not caused by hostile or friendly fire, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.

The aircraft was supporting Operation Epic Fury at the time of the crash, the command said.

The tanker had at least five crew members aboard, the Associated Press reported, citing a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation.

A second U.S. official told the AP that another KC-135 was involved in the incident but landed safely.

Central Command said the aircraft crashed in western Iraq and that recovery operations were underway. Officials did not immediately release details about the crew or the cause of the crash.

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.

Central Command said additional details would be released as they become available.

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