Friendly fire from Kuwait shoots down 3 US F-15E Strike Eagles amid Iran attack, pilots safe

2 minutes of readingNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 3, 2026 12:09 am IST

An American fighter jet, later identified as an F-15, plummets and then crashes to the ground, its final moments obstructed from view by a line of trees.

It has now come to light that three US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down during active combat by Kuwaiti air defenses in a friendly fire incident. The US military announced this in a statement on Monday. The US Central Command (Centcom) said the three US F-15E fighter jets were flying in support of ongoing military operations in Iran.

Three planes shot down “by mistake”: US

Amid a wave of military actions, including attacks by Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones in retaliation for the American and Israeli attacksKuwait “mistakenly shot down” three US F-15E Strike Eagles during a combat mission.

US Central Command said: “The US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses. All six crews were ejected safely, have been 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.”

All pilots ‘safe’: Kuwait

Earlier, Kuwait’s Defense Ministry had stated that the American fighter jets had crashed, but that all pilots had managed to escape safely. According to the ministry, the condition of the pilots was stable after they were taken to a hospital for examination.

The ministry did not go into details about the causes of the accidents, although they occurred amid a period of intense Iranian fire directed at the nation.

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