Three US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles were shot down over Kuwait early Monday in a friendly fire incident, US Central Command confirmed - a major crack in coalition coordination as Operation Epic Fury enters its third day.
The aircraft were flying combat support missions when Kuwait's own air defense systems engaged them at approximately 11:03pm ET Sunday, March 1. All six crew members ejected. All six were recovered and are listed in stable condition, CENTCOM said in a statement posted to X.
"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 defenses."
Video verified by Reuters shows one of the jets trailing flame and spinning downward over the Al Jahra area of Kuwait. A parachute is visible in the footage. A separate clip shows one pilot, still in his flight suit, being assisted by civilians on the ground.
Kuwait has acknowledged the incident and launched an internal investigation. No statement from Kuwait's defense ministry elaborated on the circumstances that led air defense operators to misidentify the US aircraft as hostile targets.
The Chaos That Created It
The incident is a direct product of the layered, high-tempo combat environment over Kuwait and the Gulf. Iranian ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones have been transiting or targeting Gulf airspace since Saturday, when Trump authorized the strikes that killed Supreme Leader Khamenei. Kuwaiti air defenses have been on maximum alert, engaging multiple threats per hour.
In that environment, three fast-movers at night likely looked like incoming threats - not allied aircraft. The IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) failure investigation will determine whether it was a transponder issue, a communications breakdown, or a trigger-finger mistake under fire.
It is also worth noting: the Pentagon confirmed separately that three US service members were killed and five others wounded during Operation Epic Fury's first days - a different incident involving an Iranian strike on a US Army sustainment unit also based in Kuwait. That brings the total American military casualties in Kuwait to six dead and five wounded in under 72 hours.
The Iran Spin
Iran's state media, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, immediately claimed one of the downed aircraft as an IRGC kill - asserting Iranian armed forces hit a US plane that subsequently crashed in Kuwait. CENTCOM's statement directly contradicts this, attributing all three losses to Kuwaiti air defenses rather than enemy fire.
The IRGC claim is standard wartime information operations - taking credit for chaos regardless of the actual cause. But the confusion serves Tehran's narrative regardless of who fired the shot.
Pentagon Silence - and Trump's Warning
At a Monday morning Pentagon briefing, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine addressed the incident briefly and then closed the door on questions.
"I am aware of the loss of three US Air Force F-15Es overnight in the region. I am grateful for the safety of the crews, and we know that this was not from hostile enemy fire. As this matter is under investigation, I'll not comment further," Caine said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made lengthy public remarks on Monday - and did not mention the incident at all.
Meanwhile, Trump posted to Truth Social warning that the US had yet to unleash its largest strike wave against Iran. "The big one is coming soon," he wrote. Operation Epic Fury was launched without Congressional authorization. It is now in its third day with no timeline for conclusion.
Operation Epic Fury - Day 3 Scorecard
- US aircraft lost (friendly fire): 3 F-15E Strike Eagles
- US crew members down: 6 ejected, all recovered, stable condition
- US service members killed (separate incident): 3 (Kuwait ground attack)
- US service members wounded: 5
- Kuwaiti response: Investigation launched
- Iran IRGC claim: Claiming credit for one aircraft
- Trump warning: "The big one is coming soon"
- Turkey: Suspended all flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE
What It Means
Three F-15E Strike Eagles represent roughly $140 million in airframes, not counting munitions and equipment. More critically, this incident exposes the coordination risk that comes with rapidly expanding a war across multiple Gulf partners who were not planning for this conflict three days ago.
Kuwait has hosted US forces for decades. It is a Treaty partner. The fact that Kuwaiti air defenses fired on American planes - even in a chaotic combat environment - signals how stretched and uncoordinated the operational picture has become. When your allies are shooting at you, the command-and-control picture is not under control.
With Trump promising a larger wave of strikes and no diplomatic offramp visible, Day 4 begins with the US having lost more aircraft to friendly fire than to Iranian guns.