A Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker has gone missing over Qatar after sending distress signal.
According to First Post, the plane issued an emergency distress signal while flying over the Persian Gulf near Iran before disappearing from radar.
The aircraft, which is known as a “flying gas station,” had been providing support to US operations in West Asia.
Hindustan Times citing Flightradar24 data and Tasnim News Agency said that the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker issued a “7700” distress call near Iran.
The aircraft took off from Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and went off the radar over Qatar.
The aircraft was reportedly on a mission in support of ongoing military operations when it went missing.
Flight tracking data showed the plane flying in a circular pattern before starting its descent for landing.
The exact cause of the emergency remains unclear, and there has been no official confirmation linking the incident to hostile action.
The US previously lost a KC-135 Stratotanker in western Iraq during Operation Epic Fury in March. The incident saw six US service members being killed.
The Islamic Resistance of Iraq had claimed to have downed the aircraft. The group said that it shot down the aircraft “in defence of our country’s sovereignty and airspace.”
