Days after being in the limelight for refueling the 6th-generation B-21 Bomber, a US KC-135 refueling tanker has crashed in western Iraq, while a second aircraft involved in the mishap landed safely.
“One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, the US military said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Iran claimed that an allied group in Iraq had downed the aircraft with a missile, killing all its crew.
The KC-135 incident is at least the fourth setback for the US military, which earlier lost three F-15E Strike Eagles in a friendly fire incident over Kuwait.
KC-135s generally have a crew of three — a pilot, a copilot, and a third who operates the boom used to refuel other aircraft.
The KC-135 provides the core aerial refueling capability for the USAF. This unique aircraft enhances the USAF’s global reach mission. It also provides aerial refueling support to the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and aircraft of allied nations.
Four turbofans, mounted under 35-degree swept wings, power the KC-135 to takeoffs at gross weights of up to 322,500 pounds. A cargo deck above the refueling system can hold a mixed load of passengers and cargo. The KC-135 can carry up to 83,000 pounds of cargo.
Almost all internal fuel can be pumped through the flying boom. One crew member, known as the boom operator, is deployed at the rear of the plane and controls the boom during in-flight air refueling.
A special shuttlecock-shaped drogue attached to and trailing behind the flying boom may be used to refuel aircraft fitted with probes. Some aircraft have been configured with the multipoint refueling system, which consists of special pods mounted on the wingtips. These KC-135s can refuel two receiver aircraft simultaneously.
KC-135 in Limelight
Recently, a next-gen B-21 stealth bomber prototype was spotted performing aerial refuelling from a KC-135R Stratotanker over the Mojave Desert on March 10.
Several plane spotters captured stunning images of the prototype behind the specially equipped refuelling tanker, which is believed to be based out of Edwards Air Force Base (AFB).
The B-21 Raider was photographed during an aerial refueling operation — a key milestone in its flight test campaign — with the customary F-16 Fighting Falcon serving as the chase plane. Notably, the stealth bomber was also joined by an unidentified business jet, which may have supported comprehensive data collection or acted as a specialized test asset. Reports indicate the sortie exceeded 5 hours.
These exclusive, one-of-a-kind photographs capture the historic first-ever aerial refueling of a B-21 Raider prototype by KC-135 — a critical moment in the stealth bomber’s rigorous flight-test program.
The images have been hailed as historic, as they show the B-21 prototype, which has an air-data boom on its nose, successfully attaching to an archaic KC-135 tanker.
Interestingly, the archaic KC-135 is still operating and refuelling a futuristic bomber.
“Gramps out here still flying 70 years later and refuelling the newest kid,” a military blogger who goes by the name ‘Doha’ on X wrote in a post. The account also noted that the visuals provide a decent view of the aircraft’s Internal Weapons Bay.
The pictures provide a helpful size comparison with the tanker, suggesting that the B-21 is likely larger than previously anticipated.
Previous observations of the aircraft’s appearance indicated that the B-21 is expected to be a large aircraft, but still somewhat smaller than the B-2 Spirit bomber it is meant to replace. Some reports suggested that it has a wingspan of approximately 140 feet, which is significantly smaller than the B-2’s 172-foot wingspan.
Additionally, the B-21 was believed to have a smaller payload capacity, approximately 9,100 kilograms, compared to the B-2’s 18,000 kilograms. However, the latest appearance suggests that the Raider is much bigger than previously thought.
It is noteworthy that this next-generation Northrop Grumman bomber has been undergoing testing for a while and has been spotted on multiple occasions.
However, the latest video may be one of the best visuals captured on camera, particularly because the B-21 is already built for extraordinary endurance, and aerial refuelling extends its unrefuelled range, underscoring the need for more tankers, possibly even more stealthy ones, in the future. Moreover, the mid-air refuelling demonstrates that the USAF is accelerating testing and focusing on endurance ahead of induction in 2027.
Interestingly, the photos have been published at a time when the US military’s existing bomber force, the B-1 Lancer, the B-2 Spirit, and the archaic B-52 Stratofortress, have all been deployed to the Middle East as part of “Operation Epic Fury.”
B-21 Raider
Unveiled in 2022, the B-21 Raider is designed to conduct deep-penetrating nuclear and conventional strikes over heavily defended airspace.
The Raider conducted its maiden flight from Northrop Grumman’s facilities at the Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, and is currently in Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP), which involves building a small number of aircraft to test the production process and refine it before full-rate production begins.
Until now, Northrop Grumman is believed to have delivered two flight-test aircraft, and testing is underway at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Air Force Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost, with the Eighth Air Force, to which the Air Force’s current B-2, B-1, and B-52 bombers belong, said last year that bringing in the B-21, which is currently undergoing testing, will allow the USAF to develop a bomber “campaign force” that can use a variety of bombs and launch attacks on many continents simultaneously, referring to the large number of B-21s that have been planned for purchase.
The USAF has committed to buying at least 100 B-21 Raiders, but some recommendations suggest a need for 145 to 200 aircraft to meet modern strategic needs against threats such as China, Russia, and Iran.
The B-21 per-unit cost is expected to exceed $700 million after accounting for inflation, and neither Northrop nor the Pentagon has any plans to increase production, at least as of now.
Nonetheless, the US Department of the Air Force (DAF) and Northrop Grumman Corp. have reached an agreement to expand production capacity for the B-21 Raider, accelerating delivery of the Air Force’s next-generation stealth bomber fleet, as recently announced in a notification.
The majority of the information is classified, but we do know that it will feature superior, sophisticated stealth technology than its predecessors, including a smoother radar-absorbent coating and narrower, recessed air intakes that reduce radar cross-section.
In addition to its advanced broadband low-observable (stealthy) characteristics, the B-21 is expected to have a very long unrefuelled range thanks to advanced engines and a highly effective airframe designed for high-altitude flying. As a result, less airborne tanker support will be required for operations-related refuelling.
Furthermore, the B-21 will be far more than just a bomber thanks to its extensive networking, battle management, electronic warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
As a next-generation aircraft, the B-21 features more advanced avionics and sensors, along with greatly improved radar arrays for targeting.
According to its manufacturer, the Raider differs from previous USAF bombers in that it is built to penetrate impenetrable airspace.
Northrop Grumman says: “As adversaries continue to invest in and develop advanced weapons, the B-21 Raider will provide the United States with a strategic asset capable of penetrating enemy air defences and reaching targets anywhere in the world — something approximately 90 per cent of the nation’s current bomber fleet is incapable of doing.”
Additionally, the B-21 Raider has been designed to keep pace with the times and incorporate updates as they emerge, remaining relevant well into the future.
“The B-21 is being designed with open systems architecture to reduce integration risk and enable competition for future modernisation efforts to allow for the aircraft to evolve as the threat environment changes,” the USAF stated earlier.
The USAF is currently seeking additional industry sources capable of manufacturing a Stand-in Attack Weapon or a comparable system compatible with the forthcoming F-47 fighter and B-21 Raider stealth bomber, according to a sources sought notice published on SAM.gov.
For now, the testing is advancing ahead of a 2027 induction timeline as the manufacturer.
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- With Agence France-Presse Inputs
