The Atlantic | Nancy Youssef, Shane Harris
On March 12, two U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers, functioning as flying gas stations, collided high over Iraq, two weeks into the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. One plane crashed, killing six service members, constituting almost half of U.S. military fatalities in the conflict. U.S. Central Command initially claimed the incident occurred in “friendly airspace” without hostile fire. However, initial intelligence reports, described by two current and one former official, suggested Iran-backed militias fired anti-aircraft weapons in the western Anbar province around the collision time, potentially forcing evasive actions. CENTCOM leaders, citing different, more highly classified information, dismissed these initial reports, asserting militias never fired surface-to-air missiles capable of threatening the aircraft, suggesting detected launches were aimed at ground targets. An Air Force-led investigation is expected to conclude the disaster was an “avoidable mishap” by pilots operating in congested airspace.
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