Five refueling planes of the US Air Force have reportedly been hit and damaged in Iranian strikes on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The planes were hit on the ground and are being repaired as they suffered partial damage, the Wall Street Journal reported. Track updates on Iran US war
No casualties have been reported.
This comes a day after a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed while supporting operations in western Iraq on Thursday. All six crew members of the aircraft were reported to be dead, bringing the US death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13.
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Two planes were involved and the US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash in western Iraq followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace”. The other plane landed safely in Israel.
About 140 US service members have been injured, including eight severely, the Pentagon said earlier this week.
What are refueling planes?
The refueling planes are used for midair refueling of fighter jets, an overlooked aspect of modern warfare. In America’s Operation Epic Fury against Tehran, some 86 tankers are providing the aerial lifeline for B-2 stealth bombers, F-15 Strike Eagles, and F-35s striking targets deep inside Iran.
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Aerial refuelling is one of the most technically demanding manoeuvres in military aviation. A tanker extends either a rigid boom or a flexible hose-and-drogue toward the receiving aircraft — with the two planes flying at near-identical speed, often separated by just a few metres.
The receiver locks on, takes fuel, and breaks away, often in minutes. A slight overrun, a boom misalignment — and the consequences can be catastrophic. The KC-135 Stratotanker has served the US Air Force since 1957 — built on the Boeing 707 airframe, crewed by three, and acutely showing its age. The last were built in the 1960s. The US operates roughly 75% of the world’s tanker aircraft.