By Michael R. Gordon, Marcus Weisgerber and Shelby Holliday

A U.S. refueling plane crashed in western Iraq Thursday, as the American military pressed its punishing air campaign against Iran.

Rescue operations were under way, and the U.S. military didn't say whether the airmen in the U.S. KC-135 were killed or had survived the crash. Any fatalities would mark the first Air Force losses during the war with Iran, according to the military.

Two aircraft were involved in the incident that led to the crash and the second aircraft, which is also a KC-135, landed safely, U.S. officials said.

Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, said the loss of the plane wasn't due to hostile or friendly fire, and people familiar with the episode said initial reports pointed to an in-air collision.

Aerial refueling tankers play an essential, though often unheralded, role in an air campaign.

During an in-flight refueling mission, a rigid pipe is lowered from the tanker part of the aircraft and inserted into a small receptacle on the receiving aircraft. It is potentially dangerous, particularly in combat when linkups in midair aren't as scripted as they are during training flights. The precise circumstances of the suspected collision haven't been made public.

Stratotankers have been flying since the 1950s when their primary mission was to refuel long-range nuclear bombers. The aircraft flying today were built by Boeing in the 1950s and 1960s, but have received new engines and avionics over their 60 years in service.

The aircraft doesn't have ejection seats.

Reports of a potential incident in western Iraq surfaced earlier in the day when a KC-135 declared an in-flight emergency, according to flight tracking data.

The crash happened on the 13th day of the conflict. In addition to its airstrikes in Iran, the U.S. military has carried out attacks against Iran-backed militias in Iraq who have been attempting rocket and drone strikes against U.S. troops there.

The U.S. military has a modest number of troops based in Iraq and has been advising the Iraqi military as it seeks to prevent Islamic State from attempting a comeback. U.S. military spokesmen have declined to provide the precise number of troops in the country.

The Air Force is replacing some of the KC-135 fleet with new KC-46 tankers, which are based on the Boeing 767.

A KC-135 crashed in 2013 when a tanker taking off from a base in Kyrgyzstan experienced a flight control system malfunction. The Air Force operates nearly 400 Stratotankers, according to a fact sheet.

Three U.S. F-15 fighters were shot down earlier this month by a Kuwaiti F/A-18 in a friendly fire episode, Central Command said. All six crew members safely ejected.

Before Thursday's crash, seven U.S. Army troops had been killed. Eight servicemembers have been seriously wounded, which the military defines as suffering injuries that could be fatal.

All told, about 150 have been wounded. Most of those were lightly wounded and have returned to duty. The Pentagon hasn't provided details about those who have been hospitalized or aren't able to return to their mission.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 12, 2026 20:09 ET (00:09 GMT)

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