US KC-135 Vanishes After ‘7700’ Distress Signal Over Persian Gulf Amid Rising Iran Tensions

A KC-135 Stratotanker issued a general emergency over the Persian Gulf near Iran and then disappeared from civilian and public tracking feeds. Investigations follow, amid heightened US Iran tensions and reports of navigation interference in the region. This event echoes past KC-135 incidents in the area.

A US military refuelling aircraft, a KC-135 Stratotanker, is missing after issuing an emergency alert over the Persian Gulf near Iran. Flight tracking websites show the aircraft sent a “7700” distress signal while flying towards Qatar, then disappeared from civilian radar systems on Tuesday.

The fate of the aircraft is still unclear, as there has been no official confirmation of a crash or safe landing. A statement from US Central Command is awaited, and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth did not mention the incident during a press conference on Monday local time.

US military aircraft distress signal and emergency over Persian Gulf

Data from Flightradar24 and other platforms indicate the KC-135 Stratotanker declared a general emergency over the Persian Gulf while performing aerial refuelling. The aircraft, often called the “flying gas station”, reportedly ran into trouble over the Arabian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz region during operations.

The Stratotanker transmitted the “7700” code, which is an internationally recognised signal for a “general emergency”. This transponder code is used when pilots face a serious in-flight problem. After broadcasting the alert, the aircraft vanished from publicly accessible tracking feeds, prompting concern among observers and defence analysts.

US military aircraft incident amid US Iran war tensions and jamming

The apparent disappearance comes as the war between the United States and Iran escalates, with rising tension around key sea lanes. Regional sources have reported AIS and GPS jamming and spoofing near the Strait of Hormuz, which could interfere with navigation and tracking in the crowded maritime and airspace corridor.

After the Stratotanker’s signal was lost, Gulf News reported that H125 light utility helicopters were spotted in the wider area. Their activity raised speculation about possible search and support efforts, although no authority has officially linked these helicopters to the missing US military aircraft incident.

This is not the first serious event involving a KC-135 in the region. In March, a KC-135 aircraft went down in Iraq during the peak of the US-Iran war. “Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely,” said CENTCOM in a statement.

At that time, CENTCOM stated that hostile fire did not cause the crash. However, Iran's IRGC claimed responsibility for the attack, highlighting the contested information space surrounding military incidents linked to the US Iran war. The latest episode over the Gulf now emerges against this recent backdrop.

With no public statement yet from the US government or US Central Command, key details about the KC-135 Stratotanker’s status remain unknown. The combination of regional jamming reports, previous incidents and current US Iran war tensions means international attention is fixed on any forthcoming clarification.