Three U.S. fighter jets crashed in Kuwait on Monday due to an “apparent incident of friendly fire,” the U.S. military said in a statement.
Late Sunday night (EST), Kuwait air defense forces accidentally shot down an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet. U.S. Central Command said all six crew members ejected safely.
The cause of the incident is under investigation, according to Central Command. The jets were flown in support of military operations against Iran known as Operation Epic Fury.
Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said early Monday that “several” U.S. fighter jets crashed, but did not specify the exact number or cause of the crash. Each fighter jet costs tens of millions of dollars to build.
The announcement came after CNN’s geolocated video showed a fighter jet crashing in Kuwait and a pilot parachuting to the ground.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
“During active combat, which included attacks by Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones, a U.S. Air Force fighter jet was mistakenly shot down by a Kuwaiti air defense system,” the Central Command statement said.
“All six crew members ejected safely and were rescued safely and are in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged the incident and we thank the Kuwait Defense Forces for their efforts and their support of the ongoing operation.”
“The relevant authorities immediately launched a search and rescue operation,” Kuwait Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Saeed Atwan said in a statement.
“The crew is being evacuated from the crash site and transferred to hospital to assess their condition and provide necessary medical care,” he said.
The ministry added that the crew’s condition was “stable.”
Atwan said Kuwait was “coordinating directly” with U.S. authorities.
A geolocated video from CNN showed a fighter jet crashing over Kuwait near a U.S. Air Force base. Video showed a jet on fire and spinning out of the sky, suggesting it came down within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of the US base at Ali Salem in Kuwait.
Other videos geolocated by CNN appear to show a fighter pilot lying on the ground in Kuwait after ejecting from a plane.
In one of the videos, a man wearing a full flight suit and helmet can be seen kneeling on the ground next to an orange and white parachute and parachute cord in a desert area near a fence line.
CNN has located the video about 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) from the Ali Salem base.
In another video, the pilot stands up as onlookers look on, with smoke billowing in the distance in the background.
The crashes come as the Gulf states come under heavy bombing as part of an expanding war with Iran. Meanwhile, smoke also appeared in the area around the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait.
Notably, U.S. fighter jets crash overseas and often trigger investigations.
In 2024, a U.S. ship “mistakenly opened fire” on an F/A-18 aboard the USS Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea. After the incident was investigated, the two naval pilots ejected safely.
The U.S. military has numerous military assets in the region that were deployed in the weeks ahead of a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation that began early Saturday morning ET. Assets used so far include F-18s, F-16s, F-22s, F-35s, A-10 attack aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones, tankers, counter-drone systems, Navy aircraft carriers and guided-missile destroyers, according to a list released by Central Command on Sunday.
A news release from Central Command on Sunday said more than 1,000 targets had been attacked, adding that the military was focusing on military targets such as command and control centers, Iranian naval ships and submarines, and the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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