All six crew members of a US tanker aircraft died on Thursday when the plane crashed in western Iraq, the US military announced today, as the circumstances of the incident are now under investigation.
“At approximately 18:00 GMT on March 12, a US KC-135 tanker aircraft crashed in western Iraq,” US Central Command (Centcom) wrote on social media, having initially reported four deaths. A revised toll confirmed that two more crew members had died, accounting for all personnel on board.
All Crew Members of U.S. KC-135 Loss in Iraq Confirmed Deceased
TAMPA, Fla. – All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 13, 2026
“The loss of the aircraft was not due to enemy or friendly fire,” the US military reiterated, adding that “the circumstances of the incident are under investigation.”
Earlier, in a statement broadcast on state television, the Iranian military claimed the aircraft had been struck by a missile fired by pro-Iranian armed movements in western Iraq and that no crew members had survived.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq — an informal alliance of Iran-backed Iraqi factions — claimed to have shot down a KC-135, and later also claimed to have targeted another aircraft, stating that its crew had managed to escape. Since the start of the Middle East war, the alliance claims daily attacks against US interests in Iraq and across the region, but rarely identifies specific targets.
This is the fourth military aircraft lost by the United States since the start of the war against Iran at the end of last month, after three F-15 combat jets were accidentally shot down by friendly fire from Kuwait.
Measuring 41.5 metres in length with a wingspan of around 40 metres, the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker has four jet engines and a payload capacity that can exceed 38 tonnes depending on configuration.
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On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Iran, to which Tehran responded with strikes against Israeli targets and US bases across the region and by blocking the Strait of Hormuz. The war has so far caused more than 2,000 deaths in the region, including 1,348 in Iran and 687 in Lebanon, according to data from Qatar’s Al-Jazeera television.
