Kuwaitis Mistakenly Shoot Down 3 US Jets, Crews Survived

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense earlier said it was liaising with U.S. forces regarding the circumstances leading to Monday’s friendly fire incident.

Three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles, from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, fire flares over the Utah Test and Training Range, west of Salt Lake CIty, Utah, on July 3, 2018. U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Codie Trimble/Handout via Reuters

The U.S. military says three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter planes were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti forces on Monday.

A statement by U.S. Central Command said, “At 11:03 p.m. ET, March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident.”

“During active combat—that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones—the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” the statement added.

It added that all six crew in the three planes managed to eject safely and parachute to the ground, were safely recovered, and are in “stable condition.”

“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” the statement added.

There are no reports of any casualties on the ground, but it is one of the worst friendly fire incidents involving the U.S. military this century.

Friendly Fire Incidents

On Dec. 22, 2024, a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet was shot down by accident over the Red Sea by the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg.

In 1994, two U.S. Air Force F-15 fighters mistakenly shot down two U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopters over northern Iraq, killing all 26 people on board.

Kuwait is home to a U.S. Air Force base at Ali Al Salem, and the forward headquarters of U.S. Army Central is situated at Camp Arifjan.

Kuwait said on Monday it intercepted a number of Iranian drones, the third consecutive day ‌of retaliatory strikes ⁠by Tehran, carried out after a joint U.S. and Israeli strike that killed Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

Earlier on Monday, the Kuwaiti Defense Ministry said that several U.S. military planes had crashed, but the crews survived.

In a post on X, the Kuwait Army general headquarters said the authorities immediately initiated search and rescue procedures, the crews were evacuated and transferred to the hospital, where their condition is “stable.”

The Kuwait Army said it was liaising with U.S. forces regarding the circumstances leading to the incident.

U.S. Central Command announced on March 1, prior to the loss of the three jets, that three U.S. service members had been killed in action so far during Operation Epic Fury, and five others were seriously wounded. A fourth service member succumbed to their wounds the next day, according to Centcom, with identities being withheld pending notification of family.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a video statement posted on Truth Social, “Even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives, we pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen.”

Following Khamenei’s death, the Iranian regime shows no willingness to surrender or negotiate.

Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, said in an English-language post on X on March 2: “Trump’s wishful thinking has dragged the whole region into an unnecessarily [sic] war and now he is rightly worried about more American casualties. It is indeed very sad that he is sacrificing American treasure and blood to advance [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s illegitimate expansionist ambitions.”