Friendly Fire in Kuwait Downs Three American Fighter Jets, All 6 Crew Members Eject Safely
Three U.S. planes were shot down over the weekend during Operation Epic Fury, according to the U.S. military. No Americans were killed in the incidents.
“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,” U.S. Central Command wrote in a news release.
“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 release 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.
Read more:https://t.co/i2y3Q3vo2E
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 2, 2026
“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition,” the release continued.
“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”
Central Command said the incident is being investigated.
Video shows a U.S. fighter jet crashing in Kuwait as a pilot is seen parachuting down on Monday.
The American F-15 fighter jet and two others were shot down over Kuwait in what the U.S. Central Command called “an apparently friendly fire incident” during an Iranian attack on the… pic.twitter.com/vSAgBDpxZB
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 2, 2026
Kuwait issued a statement saying that “several” U.S. military aircraft crashed, although a cause for the crashes was not provided, according to CNN.
A Kuwaiti representative said “relevant authorities immediately initiated search-and-rescue operations,” whereby the crews “were evacuating from the crash sites and transferred to hospital to assess their condition and provided necessary medical care.”
Alleged photos of one of the pilots of the F-15 that crashed in Kuwait. pic.twitter.com/mai02iOSZG
— Luke Brenner (@TheLukeReport) March 2, 2026
The representative said “direct coordination” with U.S. authorities was conducted, with further investigations unfolding.
Another view of the Us embassy which was hit by Iran in Kuwait pic.twitter.com/vMvoxXMcru
— Metallic (@KMatallic) March 2, 2026
The New York Post reported that the incident came shortly after multiple Iranian drones struck the Kuwait City compound containing the U.S. Embassy.
The embassy had earlier issued a warning to its staff not to show up for work and to remain indoors and take cover.
Although the embassy compound appeared damaged, it was uncertain if any people were injured.
Three U.S. soldiers in a logistics unit were killed in Kuwait over the weekend.
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