Three United States Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles have been shot down over Kuwait in what U.S. Central Command has described as an apparent friendly fire incident.
In a press release issued on 2 March, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) said that at 11:03 p.m. Eastern Time the aircraft, which were flying in support of Operation Epic Fury, “went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident.”
According to the statement, the incident occurred during active combat operations that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones. USCENTCOM said the fighter jets were “mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses” amid the engagement.
All six aircrew aboard the three aircraft ejected safely and have since been recovered. The statement confirmed they are in stable condition. CENTCOM added that Kuwait has acknowledged the incident and expressed gratitude for the efforts of Kuwaiti defence forces in supporting recovery operations.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation,” the statement said, noting that additional information will be released as it becomes available.
No further operational details have been provided.
The aircraft itself
The F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter developed to establish and maintain air superiority. Designed with a high thrust-to-weight ratio and low wing loading, it offers strong acceleration and manoeuvrability, enabling tight turns without significant loss of airspeed. Its performance characteristics are supported by twin turbofan engines and a lightweight airframe optimised for air combat operations.
The aircraft integrates a multi-mission avionics suite that includes a head-up display, pulse-Doppler radar, inertial navigation system, electronic warfare systems and identification friend or foe capability. The radar is designed to detect and track targets at long range and at varying altitudes, including low-level targets in ground clutter. Information is fed into a central computer to assist with weapons delivery, while the head-up display allows the pilot to access critical flight and targeting data without looking down into the cockpit.
The F-15 can carry a range of air-to-air weapons, including AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, alongside an internally mounted 20mm M61A1 cannon. The F-15E Strike Eagle variant expands the platform’s role to include deep interdiction and precision strike missions, with a two-seat configuration and enhanced avionics for all-weather, day and night operations. It is equipped with terrain-following capability and advanced radar systems to support low-altitude, high-speed penetration.
First flown in 1972, the F-15 entered service in the mid-1970s and has since undergone multiple upgrades through improvement programmes enhancing radar, computing power and electronic warfare systems. Variants of the aircraft have been deployed in numerous operations, including the 1991 Gulf War and subsequent campaigns in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. The F-15 remains in service with the United States Air Force and several international operators, fulfilling air superiority and strike roles within modern air forces.
Crikey in such a congested air space you would expect an occasional blue on blue but three?
Lot of trigger happy nervous air defence people along the Gulf coast.
Well that proves modern western air defences are good at destroying 4.5 generation aircraft..
Reminder to pilots; when re-entering friendly airspace, make sure you turn the IFF squwak box back on!
This, presuming the GBAD units know the USAF IFF codes.
Sounds like the responsibility of USAF mission planning to let their allies know before it starts…
Expensive mistake.
3 in one go, that is some going.
I assume Kuwait GBAD far exceeds ours?
Kuwait have Patriot and NASAMS.
Well there you go.
Where they’re located, over the last two decades they’ve needed it more than us, but it’s time our pathetic leaders got their arse in gear on this.
I have little real belief they will, by the way.
Guess it makes a change from the Spams shooting down our aircraft
Amazing luck that all 6 aircrew survived. How is that possible?
Ejection seats. They are a great invention. Have you heard about them?
At ours don’t reject downwards
AAW missiles generally head for the tailpipe as it is the hottest thing on IR and gives the best radar return.
That way there is a very solid engine between the missile and the pilot.
Doesn’t say much for the F15 countermeasures or the training of the land battery operators who can distinguish a slow drone from an F15. This is semi trained people pushing buttons.
Fair point on turbine heat signature and mass, however the turbine disintegration is catastrophic so it’s just as well the pieces are ejected axially, behind the crew.
Interested to know who actually Shot them down,and by what means ?.