New Delhi: On the 14th day of the escalating US-Israel military campaign against Iran, a major setback struck American forces when a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, claiming the lives of all six crew members on board.
The incident occurred on March 12 during Operation Epic Fury, with two KC-135 tankers involved — one crashed while the second landed safely, reportedly sustaining damage. US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the loss, stating the crash took place in friendly airspace and was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire”. Rescue and recovery efforts were immediately launched, and the identities of the deceased service members are being withheld pending family notifications.
The crash pushes the official US military death toll in the conflict to 13. Earlier reports indicated four crew members were initially found deceased, with searches continuing for the rest.
However, the Tehran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq — a militia group part of the Axis of Resistance — claimed responsibility, asserting it shot down the aircraft using a “kamikaze” Hadeed-110 drone (valued at around ₹64 lakh in the report) during coordinated attacks on 13 US locations. The group described the action as defending sovereignty. The US has firmly rejected these claims.
The Boeing KC-135, a veteran aerial refueller in service since 1956 with a capacity for 90,000 litres of fuel and valued at approximately ₹7 crore (as per some estimates), is crucial for sustaining long-range fighter and bomber operations. This marks the fourth publicly acknowledged US aircraft loss in the war so far.
The development underscores mounting challenges for US forces amid Iran’s drone-heavy countermeasures and regional proxy attacks, even as operations intensify, highlighting the need for improved strategies and technologies to counter these threats effectively.