【US Air Refueling Aircraft Crash: Frequent US Aircraft Accidents Before the Incident】

On March 12, the US Central Command reported that a KC-135 crashed in friendly airspace over western Iraq, while another aircraft on the same mission sustained damage but landed safely. The US stated that the incident was not caused by enemy fire or friendly fire, but rather by its own reasons.

The Iranian military claimed that the aircraft was shot down by a missile from an Iran-aligned resistance group in Iraq, with all six crew members on board killed. According to footage of the damaged tail section at the scene, it is suspected that two aircraft collided in mid-air.

Although the KC-135 has an older age (some have exceeded 60 years), its maintenance rate has long remained between 70% and 75%, making the possibility of a crash due to mechanical failure almost zero.

Before the refueling aircraft incident, there were frequent accidents involving US combat aircraft:

On March 2, three F-15E aircraft were mistakenly hit by friendly fire in Kuwaiti airspace and crashed, with all pilots safely rescued.

On March 5, one F-35A was reportedly shot down by a "Bavar-373" air defense system during an attack on a missile factory in the suburbs of Iran; the US only acknowledged that it had gone missing.

From March 7–8, one F/A-18E crashed in the Strait of Hormuz due to an engine failure, with the pilot rescued; one MQ-9 drone was hit and disintegrated in Abu Dhabi port; one B-52H crashed into Saudi Arabia during its return flight due to a cabin fire, killing five crew members, marking the first personnel casualties in the operation.

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It is the 11th day of the Iranian conflict, and the high-intensity missions of the US have caused the aerial refueling corridor to be overloaded, leading to situations such as multiple aircraft conducting refueling simultaneously and prolonged airborne operations, increasing operational risks. At the same time, the US has struck nearly 200 targets in Iran, destroyed a "drone carrier," and continues to confront Iran in the Gulf.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1859516895922188/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.