All pilots are safe after a friendly fire incident in support of Operation Epic Fury.
U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said Monday morning that at 11:03 p.m. ET on March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles flying went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident during active combat that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones.
The incident was confirmed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine as they briefed journalists and the nation on Monday morning from the Pentagon.
The U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, according to CENTCOM. All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition.
"Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation," CENTCOM said.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation, according to CENTCOM, and Caine reiterated that message on Monday.
Videos Spread Online
Videos posted online of the apparent incident show the U.S. pilots bailing their aircraft and parachuting to the ground.
One video, which has not been independently confirmed by Military.com, shows a burning F-15 plummeting to the earth's surface while an ejected pilot can also been seen falling through the sky.
Another video, also not independently confirmed, seems to show citizens of Kuwait initially believing the downed aircraft was actually an Iranian pilot.
Other images shared online claimed to show one of the U.S. pilots laying in the back of a vehicle after the incident.
Jeffrey Fischer, a former U.S. Air Force colonel, told Military.com that he believes the incident was friendly fire as CENTCOM has indicated.
"[It's] nearly impossible for Iran to reach that far with an air defense missile and score a hit against a fighter jet," Fischer said. "Maybe an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) or RJ (regional jet), but not a fighter."
Marty France, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, told Military.com that the situation was "a classic case of the 'fog and friction of war."'"
"Coordination with allies (and even among our own forces) is difficult and with a congested, threatened airspace, it's not all that surprising that 'friendly fire' incidents occurred," France said. "It has to be troubling that three were shot down, too. That means our aircraft are maybe more vulnerable than we thought.
When you go to war quickly and don't spend enough time prepping forces and allies, or coordinating missions, this can happen. ... I'm glad no crew were killed in this.
Ret. U.S. Air Force veteran Denver Riggleman said on X that friendly fire does occur, but remained skeptical about CENTCOM's recounting of the incident.
"Friendly fire does happen. But three F-15Es? Downstream effects of ops tempo + lack of training + faulty mission planning + panic. I mission planned F-15Es for a living in the USAF… our military is IN Kuwait on permanent station in multiple locations. This is operational incompetence," Riggleman wrote.
Losing three F-15s roughly 48 hours into the battle with Iran is a hefty price.
The Pentagon in October 2023 reported that the F-15EX is to have a flyaway cost of $94 million per fighter. But even at that cost point, the aircraft remained void of advanced systems like the Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) jamming and electronic warfare suite, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
When broken down by production lot, Lot 2 had a per-jet cost of around $90 million; Lot 3 around $97 million; and Lot 4 at about $94 million. The total cost for a full combat-ready aircraft, which includes adding in EPAWSS, targeting pods and IRST pods, can ultimately cost as much as $117 million. The $80.5 million per unit cost for Lot 1 excluded EPAWSS.
France said each plane cost at least $50 million, depending on make and model.
This story was updated with remarks from Marty France and additional information.
