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Video of Kuwaiti F/A-18 shooting down USAF F-15E
As already reported, three US Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagle fighter bombers involved in Operation Epic Fury against Iran, were shot down mistakenly by Kuwait’s air defenses on Mar. 2, 2026 in “an apparent friendly fire incident,” the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
According to the video featured in this article, verified by The Washington Post, at least one of the F-15Es was shot down by a Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Hornet.
The clip shows a missile streaking through the sky before hitting the F-15, that plummets to the ground. The outline of an F/A-18 is visible flying above and the two F-15E crew members eject from the falling Strike Eagle and descend toward Kuwaiti soil with bright orange parachutes.
A US official explained that the F/A-18 pilot mistakenly fired three missiles towards the three USAF jets, which went down over Kuwait.
The Strike Eagles downed on Mar. 2, 2026 were the first US aircraft lost since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28 with a massive wave of American and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, which has retaliated with missiles and drones against Kuwait and countries across the Gulf after its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on Saturday, NDTV says.
As already reported the F-15Es were mistakenly downed in Kuwait – not Iran. The crews safely ejected.
Tehran said it shot down the Strike Eagles as the war with the US-backed Israel rapidly escalated.
The Wall Street Report says that the ‘blue-on-blue’ incident took place as multiple Iranian drones were penetrating Kuwaiti airspace. One of these impacted a base that resulted in the death of six Americans.
According to a CENTCOM statement the incident occurred during “active combat,” which included “attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones”.
Identification Friend or Foe
However, as of now, the exact circumstances of the downing of the American warplanes are not clear.
A former USAF fighter pilot explained to Air & Space Forces Magazine that the incident is “perplexing,” since allied pilots are trained to follow procedures to prevent such dangerous mistakes.
“If you’re flying air defense missions, the first thing you do is interrogate using your transponder,” he added. US pilots, he said, broadcast an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) code that identifies them as friendly to allied forces.
It is not clear if the US planes had their IFF systems on.
“It’s pretty hard to mistake an F-15E for an Iranian aircraft, and particularly if they’re not maneuvering in any kind of aggressive fashion,” the former pilot said.
Even if the F-15s were flying without transponders turned on, “that’s not a basis to engage those aircraft,” he explained.
“They have to be demonstrating some hostile intent. If they’re just flying, that’s not hostile intent,” he concluded.
Kuwaiti Hornets
The F/A-18 Hornet is the US first all-weather fighter and attack aircraft and was designed for traditional strike applications such as interdiction and close air support without compromising its fighter capabilities.
The F/A-18A and C are single seat aircraft, while the F/A-18B and D are two seaters.
The Hornet has been sold to seven foreign customers including Canada, Australia, Finland, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland and Kuwait.
The Kuwaiti Air Force fields 27 F/A-18C Hornets, plus six F/A-18D trainers.
The country is transitioning to the newer F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters. Deliveries of the Super Hornet have been postponed until 2026, and it is expected to enter service in 2027 or 2028.
Kuwait was cleared to buy 32 F/A-18Es and 8 F/A-18Fs during the final days of the Obama administration.
Photo credit: Mike Freer – Touchdown-aviation via Wikipedia
