Kuwait F/A-18 fighter jet may have shot down 3 US F-15 jets in 'friendly fire' incident

Kuwaiti air defences mistakenly shot down three United States F-15 fighter jets that were flying in support of Operation Epic Fury on early Mar. 2.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a Kuwaiti fighter jet may have been the cause, specifically an F/A-18 Hornet, used by the Kuwait Air Force but also historically by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps.

Citing three individuals "familiar with initial reports" of the incident, WSJ reported that one F/A-18 pilot launched three missiles against the three U.S. jets.

All three jets were downed, but all of their crew members safely ejected and are in a stable condition.

Friendly fire

That was the third day of conflict after the U.S. and Israel launched widespread airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

According to a statement from the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Mar. 2, the incident happened during active combat, when there were attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones.

Centcom also described it as "an apparent friendly fire incident".

Initial reports described the incident as fire from "Kuwaiti air defences" instead of a fighter jet.

Video footage circulated online showed a U.S. warplane falling out of the sky in the Al Jahra area of Kuwait, Reuters reported.

A person could be seen parachuting to the ground later on in the video.

Iranian strikes in Kuwait

Not long before the incident, multiple Iranian drones penetrated Kuwaiti air defences, a source familiar with the initial reports of the incident told WSJ.

One struck a tactical operations centre at a commercial port and killed six U.S. service members, sending Kuwaiti officials on edge, another source added.

Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement about the situation on Mar. 2, before the news of the downed U.S. jets emerged.

They condemned Iran's "indiscriminate and reckless attacks with missiles and drones against sovereign territories across the region".

The strikes endangered civilians and inflicted damage on civilian infrastructure, they said, adding that "Iran's actions represent a dangerous escalation that violates the sovereignty of multiple states and threatens regional stability."

Kuwait's response

Kuwait has acknowledged the incident, and the cause of the incident is under investigation, Centcom added.

In a post on X, a spokesperson for Kuwait's Ministry of Defence stated that several U.S. military aircraft had crashed.

They said the relevant authorities immediately initiated search and rescue procedures, and transferred the crew members to the hospital to provide any necessary medical care.

Top images from Reuters