New Delhi . The US military says a KC-135 refueling plane supporting operations against Iran has crashed in western Iraq. Four of the six crew members on board died. The rescue operation is going on. According to US Central Command, the accident occurred after an unknown incident in friendly airspace, with the other aircraft remaining safe.
The KC-135 is an aerial refueling tanker aircraft, whose job is to refuel fighter and bomber aircraft in the air. It has been in service since the 1960s and is based on the design of the Boeing-707.
Investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing. Experts say refueling aircraft generally operate in protected areas, so incidents of being shot down by enemy fire are rare. This accident comes at a time when three American F-15E fighter planes were accidentally shot down in Kuwait last week.
There have been several previous accidents involving the KC-135, with the 1966 and 2013 incidents being the most serious.
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