All six crew members aboard a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft have been confirmed dead after the plane crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, March 13, 2026, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
CENTCOM initially reported four fatalities but later updated the toll after one injured crew member succumbed to wounds and two additional bodies were recovered from the wreckage during search and rescue operations.
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The crash occurred at approximately 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT) while the aircraft was supporting ongoing U.S. combat operations against Iran. CENTCOM emphasised that neither hostile action nor friendly fire was involved. The cause remains under investigation. A second KC-135 involved in the same mission landed safely.
The U.S. military has not yet publicly released the names of the deceased crew members, stating that notifications to next of kin are ongoing and identities will be withheld for at least 24 hours.
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The KC-135 Stratotanker typically carries a crew of three to four: pilot, co-pilot, and boom operator(s) responsible for managing mid-air refuelling. The aircraft, manufactured by Boeing in the 1950s and 1960s, serves as a backbone of U.S. long-range air operations by extending the range of fighters and bombers.
Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the loss as occurring “while the crew was on a combat mission” during a Pentagon briefing on Friday. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called the fallen airmen “American heroes” and said their sacrifice “will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission.”
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The crash brings the confirmed U.S. military death toll in the U.S.-Israel war against Iran now in its third week to 13. It is the fourth U.S. aircraft lost in the conflict.
Earlier this month, three F-15 fighters were downed in an apparent friendly fire incident over Kuwait; all six crew ejected safely.
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Iran has continued launching missile and drone attacks on U.S. and allied targets across the Gulf, while coalition airstrikes have targeted Iranian military infrastructure, missile sites and leadership facilities.
Oil prices climbed above $100 per barrel again on Thursday amid renewed fears of disruption in the Gulf. Iran’s new Supreme Leader has vowed to maintain the blockade threat on the Strait of Hormuz.
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France also reported the death of Staff Sgt Arnaud Frion and six wounded soldiers in a drone attack on a Kurdish military base in northern Iraq on Thursday. The troops were training Iraqi units.
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By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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