Three F-15E Strike Eagle fighters were shot down by friendly fire while engaging Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones over Kuwait, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Monday morning.
UPDATE 0630 Eastern: Three U.S. jets downed by Kuwait in error
Following earlier reports of fighter jets downed over Kuwait, CENTCOM has confirmed the loss of three F-15E Strike Eagle fighters around 0700 Kuwait time (2303 Eastern). The aircraft were engaged in “active combat” in support of Operation Epic Fury against “Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones” and were shot down “over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident”.
They said: “the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses.”
CENTCOM confirmed what had earlier been said by the Kuwaiti authorities that “All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition”.
The American authorities added: “Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation.
The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.”
As earlier reported, the Kuwaiti General Staff Headquarters of the Army said they had ensured the “complete safety” of the downed airmen, and that the rescue had been undertaken under coordination with the U.S. and “joint technical measures were taken”.
It has not yet been indicated publicly how Kuwait is supposed to have shot down three U.S. fighters by mistake, but Kuwait is an export customer for America’s state-of-the-art Patriot missile system, having received the latest PAC-3 upgraded missiles. As recently as January, the U.S. State Department signed off on a $800 million Foreign Military Sale deal to continue supporting Kuwait’s Patriot batteries with “sustainment and follow-on technical support”.
GlobalData’s Army Technology publication stated then: “The package includes spare and repair parts, storage, surveillance firing, stockpile reliability measures, and specific support… operator and maintenance assistance, test programme set development support, technical documentation, personnel training with necessary equipment, engineering and logistics services from both US Government personnel and contractors, studies and surveys, as well as transportation and related programme logistics.”
It further stated: “The proposed sale is expected to advance US foreign policy and national security interests by strengthening the security of a major non-Nato ally in the Middle East. It will also assist Kuwait in addressing current and future threats, maintaining higher levels of operational readiness, and supporting its ongoing modernisation plans.”
The original article, published before the CENTOM statement, continues below
At least one U.S.-built F-15 Eagle has crashed near Kuwait City, with the Kuwaiti authorities reporting “several” aircraft down in an incident, but that all crews were recovered in “complete safety”.
Footage published on social media and subsequently geolocated appears to show a F-15 Eagle afire and in a flat spin, falling towards the ground to the West of Kuwait City. British state broadcaster the BBC says it has “verified” footage including a prominent radio mast and power pylons in the foreground and states it was “filmed from the west of [Kuwait] city, on the edge of the Al Jahra area”.
It is not immediately clear what country was operating the downed F-15, given the United States has exported various variants of the fighter aircraft to allies in the region, Israel, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Claims that the F-15 loss may have been due to “friendly fire” have not been corroborated.
Nevertheless, the Kuwaiti government said in a statement that “several” U.S. military aircraft had crashed over their territory this morning.
The General Staff Headquarters of the Army related a Kuwait Ministry of Defence spokesman said they were able to confirm “the complete safety” of the crews they claim had come down, and that authorities “immediately initiated search and rescue procedures”, allowing those crews to be transferred to hospital for care. The crews are in stable condition, they stated, noting the rescue had been undertaken under coordination with Kuwait’s U.S. allies and “joint technical measures were taken”.
Kuwait, a U.S. strategic ally in the Middle East, said they were investigating the cause of the “incident”.
The spokesman’s comments followed an earlier statement from Kuwait which related it had been a busy night of anti-air defence, with their military confronting “a number of hostile aerial targets”.
Neither the U.S. Department of War, nor U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) have provided any statement on the crashed F-15 or other operations in the area overnight. As reported on Sunday, CENTCOM confirmed that three U.S. service members had been killed in operations over the weekend, with “several” others wounded with “minor shrapnel injuries and concussions”.
Read the full article here