Kuwait’s air defenses accidentally shot down three US F-15 fighter jets during ongoing combat operations on Monday, US Central Command said, describing it as a friendly fire incident amid a wider conflict with Iran. All six crew members ejected safely and were pulled out, Reuters reported.
All six crew members ejected safely from the plane, were extricated and are in stable condition, CENTCOM said.
The incident is the first downing of a US aircraft since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran on Saturday and underscores how quickly the conflict in the Persian Gulf is expanding.
“At 11:03 p.m. ET, March 1, three US F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to apparent friendly fire,” CENTCOM said.
It said Kuwait acknowledged the incident and that an investigation into the cause was underway.
Features US F-15E Strike Eagles
According to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, the official website of the US Air Force, the F-15 has electronic systems and armaments to detect, acquire, track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy-controlled airspace.
Weapons and flight control systems are designed to allow one person to conduct air-to-air combat safely and effectively, he added.
The multi-mission avionics system distinguishes the F-15 from other fighter aircraft. It includes a head-up display, advanced radar, inertial navigation system, flight instruments, ultra high frequency communication, tactical navigation system and instrument landing system. It also has an internally mounted, tactical electronic warfare system, a “friend or foe identification” system, an electronic countermeasures suite and a central digital computer, he added.
Read also | US military plane crashes in Kuwait amid Iranian retaliation; the crews survive
The F-15E is a two-seat, dual-role fighter capable of all-weather air-to-air combat and deep strike missions. The rear cockpit is enhanced with four multi-function CRT displays for managing flight systems and weapons.
Armament: One M-61A1 six-barreled 20 mm cannon with 940 rounds; four AIM-9L/M Sidewinder and four AIM-7F/M Sparrow air-to-air missiles, or up to eight AIM-120 AMRAAMs carried externally.
Unit costs: A/B models – $27.9 million; C/D models – $29.9 million (constant FY 1998 dollars) Initial operational capability: September 1975, according to US Air Force.
Smoke at the American Embassy
In a separate incident, smoke was seen rising from near the US embassy compound in Kuwait City and fire engines and ambulances were in the area, a witness told Reuters.
There were no responses from the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait or the U.S. State Department for comment on the embassy incident.
Kuwait intercepted enemy drones earlier on Monday, the third day of consecutive Iranian retaliatory strikes on neighboring Gulf states in response to US and Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Iranian state media earlier quoted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying that Iranian armed forces had shot down the American plane that crashed in Kuwait.
Falling debris injures workers
Two workers were slightly injured by falling debris at Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, Kuwait’s National Oil Company X said.
The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait has warned U.S. citizens that there is still a threat of missile and drone attacks over the country and urged citizens to stay away from the embassy. He advised people to shelter in place, stay on the lowest floor of their residence outside windows and not go outside.
No injuries were reported after Kuwait’s air defenses intercepted most of the drones near Rumaithiya and Salwa districts, the state news agency said, citing the director general of civil defense, Reuters reported.
Reuters witnesses said loud bangs and sirens could be heard in Kuwait throughout the morning. Similar explosions were reported in Dubai and Doha on Monday.
Tehran said it would target US bases in the region after Saturday’s US and Israeli attacks on Iran. In addition, Iranian strikes hit civilian and commercial areas across the Persian Gulf cities, further affecting critical regional aviation and commercial hubs.
(With inputs from Reuters)
