Three U.S. fighter jets crashed on Monday after being mistakenly shot down by Kuwait's air defense system, in what could become one of the most serious accidents of its kind involving the U.S. military. The U.S. Central Command posted on the social platform X that three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets supporting Operation "Epic Fury" crashed over Kuwait. Officials said that all six crew members on board ejected safely and were rescued and are in stable condition.
The Kuwait Ministry of Defense previously posted on the social platform
U.S. Central Command previously said that one U.S. military personnel injured in the initial attack on Iran died, bringing the total number of casualties to four.
Since the early days of the Iraq War in 2003, the U.S. military has not lost multiple fighter aircraft to enemy fire. The so-called "friendly fire" means that the military accidentally shot down its own aircraft. Such incidents are not uncommon when air defense activities are intensive. For example, when a radar is tracking a large number of incoming missiles, it may mistakenly identify an aircraft as a threat.
In 2025, the U.S. Navy shot down an F-18 Hornet after mistaking it for an anti-ship cruise missile.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported earlier on Monday that Iranian air defense forces shot down a US F-15 fighter jet over Kuwait as it prepared to attack Iran.