United States Air Force KC-135R/T Destroyed

A KC-135R Stratotanker was destroyed by fire at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia after an Iranian missile and drone strike on 27 March 2026. The tanker was hit and caught fire during the attack, which also damaged several other KC-135s parked on the apron. Satellite imagery released by Iranian sources confirmed at least one tanker airframe burned beyond repair. The loss of aerial refueling capacity compounds pressure on US air operations already strained by the KC-135 lost over Iraq on 12 March.