"U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash in western Iraq on Thursday followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in "friendly airspace" and that the other plane landed safely. The crash brings the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members, with the seven others killed in combat."
"Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday morning that the crash occurred "over friendly territory in western Iraq, while the crew was on a combat mission" and reiterated that hostile or friendly fire was not the cause."
"The KC-135 has been in service for more than 60 years and has been involved in several fatal accidents, most recently in 2013. Adding to concerns about their reliability, the aircraft don't always carry parachutes."
A KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday with all six crew members killed. The crash followed an unspecified incident involving two KC-135 aircraft in friendly airspace, with the second plane landing safely in Israel. U.S. Central Command confirmed the loss was not due to hostile or friendly fire and remains under investigation. This crash marks the fourth U.S. military aircraft to crash since operations against Iran began on February 28. The incident brings total U.S. casualties in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members killed, with seven others killed in combat and approximately 140 injured. The KC-135 has served for over 60 years and has experienced several fatal accidents, with reliability concerns including inconsistent parachute availability.
#kc-135-aircraft-crash #operation-epic-fury #us-military-casualties #iraq-operations #aircraft-safety
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