The US military said a aircraft was lost in “friendly airspace” during Operation Epic Fury. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Thursday night one of its refuelling planes, a KC-135, went down during a mission part of the operation being carried out against Iran.
The combatant command said in a statement: “U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. 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.”
CENTCOM added the incident “was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire”.
The statement also read: “More information will be made available as the situation develops. We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members.”
Operation Epic Fury is the codename for the US military action launched against Iran on February 28. The operation, carried out jointly with Israel, aims at obliterating Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and production capacity, eliminating its navy, severing its support for its proxies, and ensuring it will not acquire nuclear weapons.
MORE TO FOLLOW…