Three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles went down over Kuwait on March 2 during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. campaign against Iran, but all aircrew ejected safely, a U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
U.S. Central Command confirmed the incident in a release and said it was an “apparent” case of friendly fire with the fighters shot down by Kuwait air defenses. The F-15Es were engaged in “active combat” against Iranian “aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones” strikes.
CENTCOM said all six aviators—three pilots and three weapons systems officers—have been recovered and are in stable condition.
The friendly fire incident occurred at 7:03 a.m. local time on March 2 or 11:03 a.m. Eastern Time on March 1, CENTCOM said.
Images and videos circulating on social media appear to show one of the F-15Es spiraling toward the ground with smoke and fire coming from its tail, as well as Airmen being recovered by local civilians. Air & Space Forces Magazine has not independently verified these.
Kuwait has acknowledged the incident, U.S. military officials said. It is under investigation by the U.S. military, according to CENTCOM.
The incident is the first reported loss of aircraft for the U.S. since Epic Fury began Feb. 28 with a massive wave of American and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, which soon retaliated by launching drones and missiles at bases and civilian areas across the Middle East.
As of March 2, four American service members have been killed in the strikes.
Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait was one of the bases targeted by Iran.
Air defense systems across the region have successfully blunted much of the Iranian attack, but satellite imagery and social media videos have shown some missiles and drones getting through.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.