Kuwait’s air defences accidentally shot down three U.S. F‑15 fighter jets during ongoing combat operations on Monday, the U.S. Central Command said, describing it as a friendly‑fire incident amid the broader conflict with Iran. All six crew members safely ejected and were recovered, Reuters reported.
All six crew members ejected from the aircraft safely, were recovered and are in stable condition, CENTCOM said.
The incident is the first downing of U.S. aircraft since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began on Saturday and underscores how rapidly the conflict is widening across the Gulf.
“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,” CENTCOM said.
It said that Kuwait had acknowledged the incident and that an investigation into the cause was underway.
U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles-features
According to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, official US Air Force website, the F-15 has electronic systems and weaponry to detect, acquire, track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy-controlled airspace.
The weapons and flight control systems are designed so one person can safely and effectively perform air-to-air combat, it added.
A multimission avionics system sets the F-15 apart from other fighter aircraft. It includes a head-up display, advanced radar, inertial navigation system, flight instruments, ultrahigh frequency communications, tactical navigation system and instrument landing system. It also has an internally mounted, tactical electronic-warfare system, “identification friend or foe” system, electronic countermeasures set and a central digital computer, it added.
The F-15E is a two-seat, dual-role fighter capable of all