The KC-135 was reportedly misplaced after an incident involving one other plane in pleasant airspace; the second plane landed safely.
A KC-135 was misplaced throughout Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command introduced on Mar. 12, 2026.
Right here’s the assertion launched by CENTCOM:
U.S. Central Command is conscious of the lack of a U.S. KC-135 refueling plane. The incident occurred in pleasant airspace throughout Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two plane have been concerned within the incident. One of many plane went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.
This was not resulting from hostile fireplace or pleasant fireplace.
Extra info might be made accessible because the scenario develops. We ask for continued persistence to collect further particulars and supply readability for the households of service members.
Many KC-135s are at the moment supporting Operation Epic Fury and a few of them have been noticed utilizing the emergency transponder code whereas working in Israeli airspace. For the second it’s not clear whether or not any of the plane tracked on-line squawking 7700 off the Israeli coast have been concerned within the incident.
#USAF United States Air Power – 🚨 Emergency
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker 1x#AE07C1 63-8017 – MOBIL ??
USAF KC-135 63-8017 is squawking 7700 Basic Emergency off the Israeli coast, and seems to be burning down some gasoline earlier than touchdown.
This explicit KC-135 is 62 years previous… pic.twitter.com/c27w7b0Qpj
— Armchair Admiral 🇬🇧 (@ArmchairAdml) March 12, 2026
In Flight Emergency for Tanker over Tel Aviv #FreeIran— Operation EPIC FURY —
KC-135R “YETI??” 63-8017 #AE07C1
Has begun squawking 7700 indicating an emergency@MATA_osint @AnAustinThing2 pic.twitter.com/sYOJ593Sbm
— DefenceGeek 🇬🇧 (@DefenceGeek) March 12, 2026
That is the primary lack of a Stratotanker in virtually 13 years. In reality, on Could 3, 2013, a KC-135 Stratotanker (KC-135R 63-8877) belonging to the 22 ARW (Air Refueling Wing) from McConnell Air Power Base crashed in Kyrgyzstan, close to Chaldovar, a village situated about 100 miles west of Manas, the departure airport.
That is the primary lack of a KC-135 in assist of fight operations since 3 Could 2013 when KC-135 63-8877 of the twenty second ARW suffered a structural failure and crashed over Northern Kyrgyzstan after supporting operations in Afghanistan killing all 3 crew members.
— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) March 12, 2026
In response to CBS, the opposite plane concerned within the midair incident was one other KC-135.
In response to CBS Information, the opposite plane concerned within the crash of a U.S. Air Power KC-135 Stratotanker tonight over Western Iraq was one other KC-135, with the tanker that went down in Iraq carrying a complete of six servicemembers, whereas the opposite tanker was in a position to safely return to… pic.twitter.com/JgP6LiOirh
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 12, 2026
It wasn’t shot down & one other jet was concerned. Might be an Air Refueling mishap, however we don’t know that but.
Parachutes have been faraway from the KC-135 way back. A crash touchdown might be survived, however it relies on terrain & circumstance.
Hope abounds, however worry lingers.
— KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨✈️ B-737 Wrangler (@MCCCANM) March 12, 2026
Though the official sources dominated out the plane was misplaced due to pleasant or enemy fireplace, a number of accounts on social media are spreading the information that the KC-135 was “shot down”.
⚡️#BREAKING U.S KC-135 reportedlydowned over Iraq pic.twitter.com/3jayAbfMKC
— Struggle Monitor (@WarMonitors) March 12, 2026
The KC-135Rs concerned often function at an altitude of 19,000ft or 5,791m.
Not not possible that Iraqi Resistance fighters with a 358 Floor-to-air Missile might have focused them, a reachable goal if no fighter jets are round, since this plane can’t deploy flares.. pic.twitter.com/gecyyYrLez
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) March 12, 2026
PMU affiliated channels are claiming that they efficiently shot down the KC-135.
Bizarre how they begin claiming this simply after CENTCOM makes their announcement….these channels additionally mentioned Iran downed F-15s within the first few days of the conflict, nonetheless ready for that proof too….
— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) March 12, 2026
Replace: 0100 UTC
There’s nonetheless no phrase from the U.S. relating to the standing of the six crew members on board the incident plane. A picture has emerged on social media of the second plane concerned within the incident, which confirmed on flight monitoring web sites as 63-8017, on the bottom at Ben Gurion Airport with injury to the vertical stabiliser.
Fb pic displaying a KC-135 at Ben Gurion with a portion of the tail fin lacking. pic.twitter.com/fsog4l75Gz
— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) March 13, 2026
#USAF United States Air Power – 🚨 Emergency
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker 1x#AE07C1 63-8017 – MOBIL ??
USAF KC-135 63-8017 is squawking 7700 Basic Emergency off the Israeli coast, and seems to be burning down some gasoline earlier than touchdown.
This explicit KC-135 is 62 years previous… pic.twitter.com/c27w7b0Qpj
— Armchair Admiral 🇬🇧 (@ArmchairAdml) March 12, 2026
This injury reinforces widespread hypothesis of a midair collision.
Opposite to some reporting, the plane concerned don’t seem like the uncommon receiver-capable KC-135RT airframes. Some speak on this matter arose based mostly on the itemizing of 63-8017 as a “KC-135R/T” in numerous databases. Reasonably than which means the plane is a KC-135RT, this truly is meant to imply the plane is both a KC-135R or KC-135T – photographs of 63-8017 accessible on-line present that it lacks the refueling receptacle above the cockpit.
The precise identification of the incident plane remains to be unclear, however the airframes recognized to have been energetic on the time level to it additionally having been a KC-135R or KC-135T and never a KC-135RT.
It is a creating story, we are going to replace it, as quickly as new particulars emerge.
