The world’s last surviving Boeing 747-100 has been destroyed in Iran
March 8, 2026
Today, more dramatic footage has poured from the Middle East showing the United States destroying what may have been the lone-surviving Iranian KC-747 tanker and the world’s final in-service 747-100. Later came footage of an Iranian drone striking the Dubai Airport near a row of parked Emirates Airbus A380s.
Rare surviving original Boeing 747-100 destroyed
The Times of Israel is reporting that the IDF destroyed 16 aircraft used by the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force in last night’s attacks on Tehran. It appears these include the world’s only KC-747 tanker.
BREAKING: The world’s last surviving KC-747 (Boeing 747-131F tanker) aircraft was just targeted and destroyed by the United States Air Force at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran. This footage shows the aircraft on fire.
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) March 7, 2026
The aircraft type—originally delivered in the… pic.twitter.com/tXFehtl2W3
The OSINT account Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch, reported, “The world’s last surviving KC-747 (Boeing 747-131F tanker) aircraft was just targeted and destroyed by the United States Air Force at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.”
Footage shows the aircraft on fire, and it may be that multiple Boeing 747s, as well as other aircraft, were targeted on the ground.
The Boeing KC-747 was a rare Iranian aerial tanker that had been converted from a Boeing 747-131 freighter. It was originally delivered in the 1970s and was one of only Boeing 747-100s remaining in service around the world.
Planespotters.net lists the Iranian Air Force as the final operator of the Boeing 747-100. The aircraft listed (MSN 20082) is 55 years old, and registered 5-8107.
It was originally ordered by Eastern Air Lines, but not taken up, and was instead delivered to Trans World Airlines (TWA) in 1971 before being returned to Boeing in 1975. Boeing then converted it into a tanker for the Imperial Iranian Air Force.
Israel’s 2025 priority strike on KC-707 tanker
In 2025, The War Zone reported that Israel had destroyed either a KC-707 or KC-747 at Mashhad Airport. That marked the farthest Israeli strike during last year’s campaign. Later satellite imagery confirmed it was a KC-707 tanker.
#Breaking: According to the satellite images, the claims of #Iran's State Media about destruction of the world's last KC-747 tanker in #Mashhad are untrue. In fact, the #Israel Air Force destroyed one of two KC-707 tankers of the #Iranian Air Force in that airport.… pic.twitter.com/sxPmAriFFu
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) June 18, 2025
Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch added that a former Iraqi Airways Boeing 747-270C of the air force was also severely damaged there. Tankers are key enablers and are often key priority targets.
Now Iran’s only KC-747 tanker has actually been destroyed at Mehrabad Airport. Separately, it is unclear how many aircraft are operational at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.
Satellite imagery shows that while it is a functioning airport, much of it is a veritable cemetery of derelict aircraft stripped for parts. As Iran has been under sanctions for decades, it has had to acquire old commercial aircraft through shelf companies on the black market.
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Destruction of the Iranian air force continues
Over the weekend, the US destroyed more Iranian aircraft on the ground. It appears the US Air Force is now expanding beyond just targeting Iranian fighter jets and drones, but also hitting Iranian transport aircraft.
Meanwhile, Christiaan Triebert, who works in visual investigations for the New York Times, posted satellite imagery of Iran’s Shahid Dastgheib International Airport in the city of Shiraz. The airport houses an Iranian air base.
At Shahid Dastgheib International Airport in Shiraz, which also hosts an air base:
— Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) March 6, 2026
1 x destroyed Il-76
2 x destroyed C-130s
2 x destroyed Su-22s pic.twitter.com/DScWuRhHUj
The imagery shows the destruction of one Ilyshuin Il-76 transport aircraft, two Lockheed C-130s, and two more Su-22 Fitters (export variant of the Su-17).
New CENTCOM footage released also appears to show cheap US drones, perhaps LUCAS, striking parked Iranian aircraft.
CENTCOM now claims to have sunk or struck 43 Iranian Navy ships and to have struck over 3,000 targets so far in the campaign against Iran.
Operation Epic Fury: The first 7 days pic.twitter.com/B2tOjVfSNW
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 6, 2026
After a US submarine sank an Iranian frigate near Sri Lanka, two other Iranian naval vessels have agreed to be interned by Sri Lanka and India.
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