US military refueling plane goes down in Iraq
by STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER · Mail OnlineA United States military refueling plane has gone down in Iraq during the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Rescue efforts are underway, a spokesperson for the Air Force said Thursday.
The aircraft is part of the US military operation against Iran, but the crash was not due to hostile or friendly fire, it said.
US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said in a statement that two KC-135 refueling aircraft were involved in the incident.
'The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely,' a spokesperson said.
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a developing situation, said the other plane involved also was a KC-135 tanker.
Central Command added that the incident was not due to 'hostile fire or friendly fire.'
The typical KC-135 refueling craft needs a three-person crew to operate, according to the Air Force.
A KC-135 tanker declared emergency before attempting to land in Tel Aviv Thursday evening, according to FlightRadar24.
The military has acknowledged four different aircraft crashes during Operation Epic Fury.
A week ago Monday, three F-15 Strike Eagles went down due to friendly fire. So far, no US soldiers have died from those incidents.
This is a developing story.