Air Force leaders expect all six KC-135 Stratotankers that were damaged but not destroyed as part of Operation Epic Fury will eventually be repaired and returned to service. Some of those damaged KC-135s are already flying again, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, said, but the most heavily damaged could take a year or two to be fully repaired.
The post Wilsbach: KC-135s Damaged in…
The port-side horizontal stabilizer of one KC-135 clipped the starboard-side stabilizer of another tanker parked nearby. The U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker fleet continues to be plagued by a variety of mishaps. The latest, fortunately a minor one but still enough to keep the involved airframes grounded for a few days, occurred during ground operations at RAF […]
The battle-damaged Alaskan ANG KC-135R departed RAF Mildenhall on its way home from Operation Epic Fury, showing the massive temporary repairs performed to make the aircraft airworthy for the return flight. On May 30, 2026, the KC-135R 63-8028, belonging to the 168th Wing of the Alaska Air National Guard, departed RAF Mildenhall, UK, for Bangor […]
Although the key fixes for the KC-46 will still take years to fully reach the fleet, a new plan promises a 20% availability increase by 2030, faster RVS 2.0 retrofits and a limited Boeing-led sustainment effort. The U.S. Air Force and Boeing have announced a new plan to improve the readiness of the KC-46 Pegasus tanker […]
The battle-damaged KC-135R Stratotanker photographed transiting through RAF Mildenhall has safely arrived at Tinker AFB, the hub for depot-level KC-135 maintenance, bearing large and small patches across its fuselage, wings, engines, and tail. As we reported previously, 59-1444, which currently sports a massive number of patch repairs across the airframe, was likely among the tankers […]
The visibly patched-up KC-135R Stratotanker that arrived at RAF Mildenhall on Apr. 12, 2026 was among the aircraft deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base when it was struck by Iran in March. After KC-135 Stratotanker 59-1444 arrived at RAF Mildenhall as REACH 717, spotters at the fenceline immediately noted its unusual appearance. Small unpainted patches […]
A agência Tasnim divulgou, nesta sexta-feira (3), imagens exclusivas do que afirma ser um caça dos Estados Unidos abatido por sistemas de defesa aérea do Corpo de Guardas da Revolução Islâmica (CGRI) no centro do Irã. É a primeira vez, desde o início do conflito em 28 de fevereiro, que destroços de uma aeronave de […]
Fonte
The Air Force has posthumously promoted two of the six Airmen who died in a KC-135 crash in western Iraq on March 12.
The post Two Airmen Killed in KC-135 Crash Posthumously Promoted appeared first on Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Am Donnerstag kam es über dem westlichen Irak zu einem schweren Zwischenfall, bei dem die US-Streitkräfte den Totalverlust eines Tankflugzeugs … mehr...
The attack on Prince Sultan Air Base brings the total number of tankers damaged during Operation Epic Fury to six, with a seventh destroyed in the mid-air incident that claimed the lives of six crew members. A recent Iranian missile strike hit Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB) in Saudi Arabia, damaging five U.S. Air Force […]
All six Airmen who were aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker that crashed in western Iraq March 12 are confirmed to be dead, U.S. Central Command announced March 13.
The post Six Airmen Dead in KC-135 Crash, First Air Force Fatalities in Iran War appeared first on Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Four of six Airmen who were aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker that crashed in Western Iraq March 12 are confirmed to be dead, U.S. Central Command announced March 13.
The post Four Airmen Confirmed Dead in KC-135 Crash, First Air Force Fatalities in Iran War appeared first on Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Un avión cisterna KC-135 de Estados Unidos sufrió este jueves un accidente y se estrelló en el oeste de Irak mientras apoyaba a la […]
The KC-135 was reportedly lost after an incident involving another aircraft in friendly airspace; the second aircraft landed safely. A KC-135 was lost during Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command announced on Mar. 12, 2026. Here’s the statement released by CENTCOM: U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. […]
The Air Force has surged F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter jets and aerial refueling tankers to Israel for possible combat operations against Iran as the Trump administration continues to weigh embarking on an air campaign against the Iranian regime, and more fighters appear to be possibly making their way to the Middle East.
The post Massive Buildup Against Iran Continues: F-22s to Israel,…
More stealthy U.S. fighter jets moved closer to the Middle East on Feb. 9, with a half dozen F–35A Lightning II fifth-generation planes landing at RAF Lakenheath, U.K., after crossing the Atlantic, flight tracking data and air traffic control communications show.
The post F-35s Deploy Closer to Middle East After US Talks with Iran appeared first on Air & Space Forces Magazine.