This is a developing story.
Four U.S. service members were killed on Thursday when a U.S. Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed during ongoing combat operations against Iran, U.S. Central Command confirmed.
Two more crew members have yet to be accounted for.
“At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq,” a CENTCOM release on Friday stated. “Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased.”
In a press briefing Friday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine stated the military is “still treating this as an active rescue.”
“The incident occurred in friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission,” Caine said. “[It] was not the result of hostile or friendly fire. … Four airmen have been recovered. The Air Force and U.S. Central Command will provide updates as information becomes available.”
The circumstances of the crash are under investigation, CENTCOM added.
Two aircraft were reportedly involved in the incident, with the second aircraft landing safely, officials said Thursday.
Numerous KC-135s are currently deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations, where crews have provided aerial refueling for other aircraft as a part of Operation Epic Fury.
The downed KC-135 is the fourth manned U.S. aircraft to be lost this month amid combat operations against the Islamic Republic.
On March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down by a Kuwaiti F/A-18 in a friendly fire incident, U.S. Central Command announced at the time. All six F-15 crew members ejected and were safely recovered.
Prior to Thursday, seven U.S. service members had been killed in action and roughly 140 more wounded — eight severely — across the opening week-plus of Operation Epic Fury.
An eighth service member, an Army National Guard officer who also served as a New York City policeman, died on March 6 following a non-combat incident.
Identities of the deceased KC-135 crew members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.
“Our service members make an incredible sacrifice to go forward and do the things that the nation asks of them,” Caine said Friday. “It’s a reminder of the true cost of the dedication and commitment of the joint force.”
J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
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