A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from a United States airbase in Kyrgyzstan...
A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from a United States airbase in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, officials said, though there were no immediate reports of any injuries.
The plane took off from the US Manas airbase and crashed near the mountain village of Chaldovar, around 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital Bishkek and close to the border with Kazakhstan, Emergency spokesman said.
The Manas airbase is key to US military operations in Afghanistan. It is used for strategic airlift operations and as an intermediate staging base for transiting personnel and equipment in support of operations in Afghanistan.
Based on the Boeing 707 commercial airplane design, the four engined KC-135A provides the core aerial refueling capability for the United States Air Force and has excelled in this role for more than 50 years.
