US refuelling aircraft crashes in western Iraq: US legal defence team
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March 13, 2026
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An American KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while a second plane involved in the event landed safely, the US legal defence
An illustrative image related to: US refuelling aircraft crashes in western Iraq: US legal defence team, highlighting key aspects of the story. | Image source: Dawn.com
US refuelling aircraft crashes in western Iraq: US legal defence team
An American KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while a second plane involved in the event landed safely, the US legal defence team stated onThursday.
“One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” US Central Command (Centcom), which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, stated in a comment.
The KC-135 is at least the fourth US legal defence team aircraft lost during the conflict in the Middle East, after three F-15s were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait.
KC-135s, which have been in protection action for more than 60 years, generally have a crew of three, a pilot, a copilot and a third who operates the boom used to refuel other aircraft, according to the US Aerial legal defence team.
But some KC-135 missions require a navigator, and the aircraft can carry up to 37 passengers, an Aerial legal defence team factsheet stated.
Early in the conflict, which began on February 28, Kuwaiti forces mistakenly downed three American F-15E fighters, but all six crewmembers were able to eject, according to Centcom.
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