THREE US fighter jets crashed in Kuwait due to an ‘apparent friendly fire incident,’ the US military said in a statement.
Kuwaiti air defenses accidentally shot the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets down late Sunday evening ET time. All six crew members ejected safely, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
The cause of the incident is under investigation, according to CENTCOM. The jets were flying in support of the military operation against Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury.
The fighter jets each cost tens of millions of dollars.
The statement comes after videos by CNN showed a fighter jet crashing in Kuwait and a pilot parachuting to the ground.
“During active combat — that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” the CENTCOM statement said.
“Relevant authorities immediately initiated search-and-rescue operations,” Kuwait’s defense ministry spokesperson Col. Said Al-Atwan said in the statement.
“The crews were evacuating from the crash sites and transferred to hospital to assess their condition and provided necessary medical care,” he said.
In one of the videos, a fighter jet is seen falling to the ground over Kuwait.
Kuwait’s defense ministry had said in the early hours of Monday morning that several US fighter jets crashed but did not specify exactly how many or what had caused it.
“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.”
One video by CNN shows a fighter jet crashing over Kuwait near a US air base. The video shows a jet on fire and falling in a tailspin out of the sky, and it suggests the jet came down within 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) of the US Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait.
Other videos by CNN appear to show a fighter jet pilot on the ground in Kuwait after ejecting from an aircraft.
In one clip, a man in a full flight suit and helmet can be seen kneeling on the ground next to an orange and white parachute and a parachute cord in a desert area near a fence line.
In another video, the pilot was seen standing up as bystanders look on, with thick black smoke billowing in the distant background.
The crashes come during heavy bombardment on Gulf nations as part of an expanding war with Iran.
—CNN
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