US Air Force refueling aircraft lost over western Iraq, military says

CNN - March 13 - A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, a refueling aircraft, went down in western Iraq on Thursday, the US military said, adding the incident was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”

The statement did not specify whether any US service members were hurt or killed.

“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” a release from US Central Command 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.”

At least five crew members were aboard the tanker that went down, a US official told CNN.

The second aircraft that landed safely was also a KC-135, the official said.

The 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.”

A KC-135 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.

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.