A U.S. Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in friendly airspace in western Iraq on Thursday during ongoing combat operations against Iran, U.S. Central Command announced.
All six crew members were killed, according to the statement.
Two aircraft were reportedly involved in the incident, the statement read, and “one of the aircraft went down.” The second aircraft landed safely, it added.
“The incident was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” the release said.
The initial CENTCOM statement did not clarify whether the aircraft had crashed, noting only that “U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss a U.S. KC-135.”
Numerous KC-135s are currently deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations, where crews have provided aerial refueling for other aircraft as a part of Operation Epic Fury.
The downed KC-135 is the fourth manned U.S. aircraft to be lost this month amid combat operations against the Islamic Republic.
On March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down by a Kuwaiti F/A-18 in a friendly fire incident, U.S. Central Command announced at the time.
All six F-15 crew members ejected and were safely recovered.
A total of 13 U.S. service members have been killed during combat actions and roughly 140 more wounded — eight severely — across the opening two weeks of Operation Epic Fury.
Another service member, an Army National Guard officer who also served as a New York City policeman, died on March 6 following a non-combat incident.
Additional information regarding the incident Thursday was not yet available as of press time.
“We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members,” the CENTCOM statement read.
J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
