U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Mary Greenwood
- A KC-135 refueling aircraft "went down" in Iraq, the US military announced Thursday evening.
- A second unidentified aircraft was involved but landed safely.
- All six crew members were killed in the crash, the military said Friday.
The US military said on Friday that all six crew members were killed after their KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq on Thursday.
The deaths mark the US Air Force's first losses since the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28.
Seven other US service members have been killed in action during the war, with at least 140 others injured. Many of them have returned to duty; some, however, were more seriously wounded.
CENTCOM said it is investigating the KC-135 incident, which occurred at roughly 2 p.m. ET on Thursday in western Iraq. It said that the "loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire."
"The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified," the military said.
The US first acknowledged on Thursday that it had lost a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting the combat operations against Iran. A second aircraft involved in the incident landed safely.
This crash marks the fourth American aircraft loss since the start of Epic Fury, the Pentagon's name for US operations against Iran, nearly two weeks ago.
Just days into the war, CENTCOM announced that three US F-15E Strike Eagles were downed by friendly fire over Kuwait. The aircraft were lost, but all six aircrew members ejected safely.
The KC-135 Stratotanker is an Air Force asset that supports the broader joint force by refueling other aircraft — including fighter jets, bombers, and cargo aircraft — in notoriously complex midair refueling operations.
It is essentially a flying gas station that executes fuel transfers at high speed with aircraft in proximity.
March 13, 2026 — This story has been updated with the latest information from US Central Command, which has revealed the loss of all crew members.