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Kuwaiti aircraft are believed to have caused the downing of three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles on March 2, sources familiar with the situation informed Air & Space Forces Magazine.
This friendly fire incident transpired at approximately 7:00 a.m. local time, during the third day of the American conflict with Iran. Kuwait’s air force operates F/A-18s and Eurofighter Typhoons.
U.S. Central Command opted not to comment on the presumed role of the Kuwaiti aircraft. Navy Captain Tim Hawkins remarked, “It would not inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”
On March 2, Central Command stated that the American aircraft “were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” yet it failed to specify if the American warplanes were brought down by ground-based or airborne systems. However, individuals acquainted with the occurrence indicated on March 3 that ground-to-air fire is no longer considered the primary hypothesis.
The precise details surrounding the destruction of the American warplanes are still undetermined. Nevertheless, Iran has responded using missiles and drones against Kuwait and other nations throughout the Gulf region. Iran’s tactic has involved exerting military leverage on Gulf states, with the expectation that they would implore President Trump to halt the conflict.
CENTCOM reported that the incident transpired amidst “active combat,” which comprised “attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones.”
All six flight crew members—three pilots and three weapons systems officers—are alive, having been rescued and currently in a stable condition, according to U.S. military authorities.
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed the “loss” of the three F-15Es during a media conference at the Pentagon on March 2, adding that the U.S. understood the event “was not from hostile enemy fire.”
This friendly fire occurrence took place while Kuwaiti forces were vigilant. The day prior to the F-15s’ downing, six U.S. Army Soldiers perished on March 1 due to an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle assault on an American command post at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port.
Visuals and clips disseminated across social platforms seem to depict one of the F-15Es plummeting downwards with fumes and flames emanating from its rear section. Its two tail fins were absent, seemingly struck from behind, concurrently with flight crew members being rescued by the indigenous populace.
On March 3, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper stated that 200 aircraft had taken part in the endeavor, executing 2,000 aerial assaults. F-15Es were among the planes involved in the sortie.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense declared in an announcement that it “confronted a number of hostile aerial targets” at daybreak on the day of the downing event, before subsequently issuing a communiqué stating that multiple American planes had gone down.
Kuwait’s military reported that “joint technical measures were undertaken” following the aerial engagement, yet offered no additional specifics.
This occurrence marked the initial destruction of an American aircraft since Epic Fury commenced on Feb. 28 with an extensive barrage of American and Israeli aerial bombardments targeting Iran, which quickly counter-attacked by deploying drones and missiles at military installations and non-combatant zones across the Middle East.
The destruction of the American F-15Es represents the second known incident of U.S. warplanes being incapacitated by friendly fire in the Middle East within the last fifteen months. For instance, in December 2024, during engagements with Iranian-supported Houthi forces in Yemen, a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet was completing a sortie and getting ready to alight on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman when it was erroneously perceived as an menace and intercepted by personnel on the USS Gettysburg cruiser
This article’s audio content is presented by the Air & Space Forces Association, respecting and aiding our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Discover more at afa.org