Incident Occurs in Friendly Airspace During Operation Epic Fury
A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker air refueler crashed in Iraq due to an incident that occurred in friendly airspace, according to US Central Command. The circumstances surrounding the crash, including casualties, are not immediately clear. The incident happened during Operation Epic Fury, the US military’s operation against Iran. A second aircraft was involved in the events leading up to the crash, but it landed safely. The KC-135 Stratotanker is a critical component of the US air refueling fleet, with the Air Force in the process of replacing it with the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus. This incident was first reported by Breaking Defense.