KC-135 Stratotanker crashes in Iraq, CENTCOM says

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/AP) - U.S. Central Command said it is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft.

“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” CENTCOM said in a release on Thursday.

The government agency said two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.

CENTCOM said this was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.

Earlier in the day, CENTCOM shared photos a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet over the middle east during Operation Epic Fury.

It wasn’t immediately clear if there were any casualties. Both President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have warned that the Iran war would likely claim more American lives before it ends.

The tanker is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as part of the U.S. military’s operations against Iran. Last week, the military confirmed that three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire.

All six crew members safely ejected from the F-15E Strike Eagles and were in stable condition after being recovered, the U.S. said.

Seven American troops have been killed in combat during the Iran war so far. Six of the service members were killed when an Iranian drone struck an operations center at a civilian port in Kuwait. The seventh died after being wounded during an attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

About 140 U.S. service members have been wounded, including eight severely, the Pentagon said earlier this week.