Three U.S. F-15E pilots inadvertently shot down in the first days of Operation Epic Fury are already back on the front line and engaged in bombing Iran.
In a press conference Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed three American fast jet pilots who were downed in a friendly fire incident in the skies over Kuwait on March second didn’t return to the United States and have already returned to combat duty.
Hegseth stated: “the three air force captains shot down by Kuwaiti friendly fire earlier in the fight, weeks ago, they never left theatre. All dropped bombs over Tehran last night.”
The comments on the F-15E pilots came as Hegseth reflected on his discussions with U.S. troops on the ground and how he’d found morale and willingness to see the mission through high. By way of contrast, he said American intelligence had found that repeated and devastating strikes against Iranian positions had left their morale low, leading to “widespread desertions”, and “frustrations” for Iran’s leadership.
The speedy return to duty underlines that the pilots were able to eject from their aircraft and return to earth without injury. A total of six crew, three pilots and three weapons officers, ejected and were safely recovered.
As reported at the time, the three lost jets were shot down around 0700 local time while they were engaged in “active combat” against “Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones” in Operation Epic Fury. Exactly how the friendly fire incident between allies the U.S. and Kuwait happened remains the subject of an official investigation.
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