Three US fighter jets crashed in Kuwait on Monday due to an "apparent friendly fire incident", the US military said in a statement.
Kuwaiti air defences accidentally shot the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets down. All six crew members ejected safely, US Central Command 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.
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Kuwait's defence ministry had said in the early hours of Monday morning (afternoon AEDT) that "several" US fighter jets crashed but did not specify exactly how many or what had caused it. The fighter jets each cost tens of millions of dollars.
The statement comes after videos geolocated 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 US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences," the CENTCOM statement said.
"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 defence forces and their support in this ongoing operation."
"Relevant authorities immediately initiated search-and-rescue operations," Kuwait's defence ministry spokesperson Colonel Said Al-Atwan said in the statement.
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"The crews were evacuating from the crash sites and transferred to hospital to assess their condition and provided necessary medical care," he said.
The crew members are in a "stable" condition, the ministry added.
Al-Atwan said Kuwait was in "direct coordination" with US authorities.
One video geolocated 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 of the US Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait.
Other videos geolocated by CNN appear to show a fighter jet pilot on the ground in Kuwait after ejecting from an aircraft.
In one of the videos, 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.
CNN has geolocated the video about 30 kilometres from the Ali Al Salem base.
In another video, the pilot is seen standing up as bystanders look on, with thick black smoke billowing in the distant background.
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The crashes come during heavy bombardment on Gulf nations as part of an expanding war with Iran. It also comes as smoke has been seen over the area surrounding the US Embassy in Kuwait.
It is notable when US fighter jets crash overseas and often triggers an investigation.
In 2024, a US ship "mistakenly fired" upon a F/A-18 operating from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea. The incident was investigated, and the two Navy pilots ejected safely.
The US military has a significant number of military assets in the region, deployed in the weeks leading up to the joint US-Israeli military operation that kicked off on Saturday. A list put out by CENTCOM on Sunday showing the assets employed thus far included F-18s, F-16s, F-22s, F-35s, A-10 attack aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones, refuelling aircraft, counter-drone systems, Navy aircraft carriers and guided-missile destroyers.
More than 1000 targets have been struck, the CENTCOM release on Sunday said, adding that the military is focusing on military targets like command and control centers, Iranian Navy ships and submarines, Islamic Revolutionary Guard corps headquarters and more.
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