Update – Iran conflict 2026: US F-15Es shot down by Kuwaiti ‘friendly fire', crews eject

A file photo of a USAF F-15E Strike Eagle. Three of the type were lost in a massed friendly fire incident over Kuwait on 2 March. (US Air Force)

Three US Air Force (USAF) Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle combat aircraft were shot down by Kuwaiti air defences in a ‘friendly fire' incident on 2 March, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

The event, which had been reported earlier in the day by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense (MoD), involved three USAF aircraft flying in support of the US Operation ‘Epic Fury' mission against Iran. All six crew members successfully ejected their stricken aircraft, CENTCOM said.

“During active combat – that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones – the US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences,” according to the CENTCOM statement. “The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the statement added.

Earlier in the day, the Kuwaiti MoD had said that “several” US military aircraft had crashed, while providing no further details other than the safe recovery of their crews. At about the same time as the Kuwaiti MoD was acknowledging the incident, footage of at least one USAF F-15E crashing was posted online, with both the pilot and the weapon systems operator seen being recovered by local nationals, having successfully ejected from their aircraft.

The US operates out of three primary airbases in Kuwait, namely Ali Al Salem Air Base, Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, and Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base/Kuwait International Airport. Neither CENTCOM nor the Kuwaiti MoD said where these particular F-15Es were operating out of, or which Kuwaiti air-defence unit engaged them and where.

On 3 March, The Wall Street Journal