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Posted on 03/13/2026 8:36:39 AM PDT by McGruff
TAMPA, Fla. – All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury.
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at centcom.mil ...
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May God rest their souls.
Now before you TDS Freepers get your panties in a wad, those are inherently dangerous jobs, and personnel are killed all the time in everyday military operations and training, so don’t try to pin this on President Trump.
There was a mid-air collision. There was another KC-135 in the area and another plane being re-fueled but there hasn’t been any reports about who collided with who.
From what I’ve heard it may have been another KC-135 that was either the refueler or the refuelee that sustained some damage but landed safely.
Well, that’s it. Time to retreat.
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Air Force pulls parachutes from KC-135s
“Removing parachutes from military aircraft may sound peculiar, but KC-135s are not like other aircraft. They seldom have mishaps, and the likelihood a KC-135 crew member would ever need to use a parachute is extremely low.
However, a lot of time, manpower and money goes into buying, maintaining and training to use parachutes. With the Air Force hungry for cost-saving efficiency under its Air Force for Smart Operations in the 21st Century Program, commonly known as AFSO 21, the parachutes were deemed obsolete.”
Dufus? Pot. Kettle. Black. Projection, like TDS, is easy for the observer to behold... difficult to behold by the projectionist.
Arent you a dem asdhat? How bold you are....
Dufus? Really?
How old are our KC135s?
All true and thank you for saying that.
The comments on this thread appear to be infested by TDS trolls. Very few are addressing the sacrifice of these six airmen in the service of their country or the tragedy the six families now endure.
Looks like a 141 to me
The KC-135 was the United States Air Force’s (USAF) first jet-powered refueling tanker; it replaced the KC-97 Stratofreighter. The KC-135 was initially tasked with refueling strategic bombers and was used extensively in the Vietnam War and later conflicts such as Operation Desert Storm to extend the range and endurance of US tactical fighters and bombers.
The KC-135 entered service with the USAF in 1957. It is one of nine military fixed-wing aircraft (six American, three Russian) with over 60 years of continuous service[note 1] with its original operator. The KC-135 was supplemented by the larger McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender. Studies have concluded that many of the aircraft could be flown until 2030, although maintenance costs have greatly increased. The KC-135 is to be partially replaced by the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus.
The hat clearly says “USA” on it. Maybe unorthodox, but it is not the end of the world.
That perfectly sums up the current vibe on FreeRepublic.
I chalk it up to PTSD from the last two neocon disasters. But this is not the same. This is the first 21st century conflict. Unless Iran smuggles a nuke onto US assets or territory, this will not mirror Iraq or Crapghanistan.
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