CENTCOM stated that a USAF KC-135 tanker aircraft was lost during the operations against Iran, adding that none of the six crew members survived the crash.
CENTCOM announced that one KC-135 tanker was lost over Iraq but “not due to friendly or enemy fire”.
A photo of a KC-135 with its vertical tail partially torn off on the runway that emerged shortly after the report of the crash raises questions.
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The said photo shows a KC-135 with one third of its vertical tail torn off, but the rest of the airframe is clean.
This brings the possibility of the two KC-135s flying close, with the crashed one flying behind and above the saved tanker. It is likely that after noticing the tanker losing altitude rapidly, the other tanker turned away narrowly, which ended up with a partially torn-off tail.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
