According to Aerospace Global News, the United States shot down the only surviving Iranian KC-747 tanker, which was believed to be the last operational aircraft based on the Boeing 747-100 platform.
The Boeing 747-100 was the world’s first wide-body passenger airliner, often referred to as the original “jumbo jet.” It was produced between 1969 and 1986.
This double-deck, four-engine aircraft could carry around 440 to 490 passengers and had a range of approximately 7,200–8,560 kilometers. It later became the foundation for the famous **Boeing 747 family of aircraft.
According to The Times of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces destroyed 16 aircraft used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during strikes on Tehran. Reports suggest that the KC-747 tanker may have been among the aircraft destroyed.
An OSINT report by Babak Taghvaee from The Crisis Watch stated:
“The world’s last surviving KC-747 tanker aircraft was just destroyed by the US Air Force at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.”
The aircraft has an interesting history. It was originally ordered by Eastern Air Lines, but the order was later canceled. The aircraft was eventually delivered to Trans World Airlines (TWA) in 1971.
