Four American Service Members Killed in Operation Epic Fury Mishap
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Four American service members died in a mid-air collision involving KC-135 tanker aircraft in western Iraq on March 12. Two KC-135s where involved: one aircraft went down in western iraq,while the second landed in Tel Aviv after declaring an emergency. U.S. Central Command said the incident is under investigation and the identities of the deceased would be released after next of kin notifications. Officials emphasized the loss was not due to unfriendly or friendly fire and occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury,with rescue efforts ongoing at the time. Some reports say the overall death toll in Operation Epic Fury has risen to 11, and the U.S. has now lost four aircraft in the broader conflict with Iran; prior incidents included three F-15E fighters shot down by Kuwait’s air defenses, with no U.S. fatalities in that event. The article also notes references to past KC-135 crashes, including a 2013 incident in Kyrgyzstan.
Four American service members died Thursday in an accident that involved what is believed to be a mid-air collision involving KC-135 tankers.
“At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” according to a post on X from U.S. Central Command.
“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation,” the post said.
A better look at the partially sliced-off tail of the USAF KC-135 involved in the mid-air collision over Iraq yesterday, back on the ground in Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/Vll73nrr8G
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 13, 2026
“However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire. The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.”
Another post noted that “the incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing.”
“Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.”
As noted by CBS News, the American death toll from Operation Epic Fury has now reached 11.
A photo reportedly shows one of the USAF KC 135 tankers involved in today’s mid air collision over Iraq after it landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, with nearly half of its vertical stabilizer torn away.@Osinttechnical pic.twitter.com/Xoc3Yqz3zb
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 13, 2026
The network said it was told by U.S. officials that the incident may have been a mid-air collision.
One of the tankers involved in the incident went down near the border between Iraq and Jordan.
The second tanker landed in Tel Aviv on Thursday after declaring an emergency.
The military said that it would release the names of those killed after the families have been notified.
According to The New York Times, the last KC-135 tanker crash took place in 2013 during the conflict in Afghanistan when a tanker crashed after takeoff in Kyrgyzstan, killing three people.
The U.S. has now lost four aircraft in the conflict with Iran.
Previously, three Air Force F-15E fighters were shot down by Kuwait’s air defenses.
No U.S. service members were lost in that incident.
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