CENTCOM confirms: 3 US F-15s shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in friendly fire incident

US Central Command released a full statement (centcom.mil): "Three U.S. F-15s involved in friendly fire incident in Kuwait — pilots safe." "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 three jets went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident." "All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered and are in stable condition." "The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation and additional information will be released as it becomes available." Earlier Monday, Kuwait's Ministry of Defence had announced that "several United States military aircraft crashed" without specifying the cause. The War Zone (twz.com) published footage showing an F-15 spinning to the ground while on fire, and a separate video of a pilot being ejected and recovered. Analysis: • The fog of war during intense Iranian missile/drone fire caused Kuwaiti air defense operators to misidentify friendly aircraft as hostile incoming threats. • This is the most significant friendly fire incident involving US aircraft since the 2003 Iraq War (where a US Patriot battery shot down a RAF Tornado GR4 and a US Navy F/A-18C). • The loss of 3x F-15s (est. $200M+ in aircraft) is a significant material loss, though all crew surviving mitigates the human cost. • The incident raises questions about air defense coordination (IFF — Identification Friend or Foe) in the chaotic multi-threat environment over the Gulf.