Al KharjThe tanker carried 200,000 pounds of jet fuel.
Every tanker hour constrains strikes and airlift across a stretched fleet.
Ground crews in Saudi Arabia drained the fuel in 48 hours and patched the shrapnel holes on site.
The 60-year-old KC-135 fleet still has no confirmed replacement program or date.
How each outlet framed it
- The War Zone
- details KC-135 repair after Iranian attack: 200K pounds fuel load, smoking aircraft, damage assessment; emphasis on operational response
Sources: The War Zone