Back to Squawk list
  • 18

Friendly Fire Shoots Down US F-15s Over Kuwait, Crews Safe

Submitted
The U.S. military has suffered multiple aircraft losses due to friendly fire as fighting with Iran entered its third day, underscoring the escalating intensity and complexity of the regional conflict. (airguide.info) More...

Sort type: [Top] [Newest]


mikehe
Same problem in 1991. Yank Patriot battery took out one of our RAF Tornado fighter-bombers. Just a fact of being close to those who are "armed and dangerous".

Sadly, nothing new here.
ToddBaldwin3
Friendly fire isn’t.
awinn
Alan Winn -1
Agreed, feels just like during the Falklands War, the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield was struck by an Argentine Air Force Exocet missile, marking the first Royal Navy vessel lost in combat since World War II.
awinn
Alan Winn 11
Forgot to mention that Sheffield’s radar had been programmed to classify the French Exocet missile as friendly, as it was a NATO missile.
Nooge
Nooge 5
That was not friendly fire

It was purposeful
mobilewatcher
Barry Kogan 3
Friendly fire may happen due to broken coordination between Kuwait air defense and the US air Force. The aircraft should have signal distinguish it from the targets. Maybe the codes or frequencies were not provided in time. This is just guessing.
Accident may happen with one but 3 it looks like a pattern.
Thanks God and the pilots super professional actions they are alive.
mikehe
Makes a change in the direction of "friendly" fire.

Inevitable (almost) in a congested airspace with lots of trigger-happy people atound. Good to learn that all six aircrew survived.

What/who did the debris land on?
1RTW
R Worth 3
I remember a similar incident during the Afghan war, 2 US helicopters shot down together due to a catalogue of errors
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 2
Friendly fire has been happening since man first fought against each other. It really is nothing new during war.
Gouldgh
F15 Have ECM . Whats goin on here?
gagroome
gagroome 2
Glad to hear the crews were able to safely eject. Shit happens. I remember the first Canadian KIAs in Afghanistan were a result of a USAF F-16 mistakenly dropping a bomb on their position. A lot of shit happens.
alexa320
In war, it’s called collateral damage. Official language for a whoopsie……
Elvisf16
Collateral damage is damage to targets other that the intended target during a planned strike. Not the same as a friendly fire incident. I flew 63 combat missions over Iraq in F-16s. I’ve caused a lot of collateral damage, but never been involved in a friendly fire incident.
alexa320
Same end result, though. Doesn’t matter much how you got there……just saying.
Elvisf16
No. Friendly fire incidents will generally receive far more scrutiny than mere collateral damage incidents. The object of collateral damage is still on the enemy’s side of board, while the object of friendly fire is on our own side. So it’s very clearly not the same end result, from either an operational or legal standpoint.
Gamch100
Brian Mac 1
Why couldn't highly sophisticated military aircraft, in a war zone, not avoid fire, friendly or otherwise ?
scubaboy3c
Guessing they thought the F-18 that shot them was friendly until it wasn’t.
jpoberry
JP OBerry 1
There are conflicting stories. One says the shoot down was by an F-18, the other says a Patriot battery did the deed.
jollyroger23
and who is buying the Friendly (Accidental) Fire story? Im not. 3 planes coming back from a mission about to land? sitting ducks for PO'd Muslim pilot who took out 3 of them...at once...from a single shot? the Kuwaiti pilot that did it seems to be left out of the story, same as what happened to Pat Tillman. this has that media narrative to it, designed to disappear in the news cycle...
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 1
But in one sortie he is half way to becoming an ace…
sparkie624
sparkie624 0
Seems like there was a similar incident a day or 2 ago... Is this the same one, or another one!
n555cf
rbt schaffer -1
We've got a bunch of amateurs and a big fat ego running this. To worried about some trans or gays or women who might just do a very good job running things, but have been fired or dismissed...... Any way the economy is sliding too... Inept at the helm.
Nooge
Nooge 1
Wait a minute now...this is just an "excursion"

As you read the fire was friendly
jpoberry
JP OBerry 1
I didn't know the Kuwaitis had trans, gays, or women working their air defense systems
n555cf
Scuttlebutt has it that Don's pal Putin is supplying INTEL to the Iranians... But you don't hear one peep from him about it. Love the down votes BTW

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

ehlerts01
Do you have proof that there were casualties from these three planes going down.? I'm reading that all of the pilots ejected and survived.?

I'm not saying that you are incorrect, just that from what I'm seeing, they all survived.

I will say that a flat spin could end up with casualties, however the pilots could have ejected before the flat spin video was taken.
awinn
Alan Winn 6
clearly says Crew Safe, they are all ok. - Friendly Fire Shoots Down US F-15s Over Kuwait, Crews Safe
FlyingSeagull
Only saw one parachute, in video. Typically, its two crew members
chris13
A and C models are single-pilot.
TiredTom
Tom Bruce 3
these were E models
Jay7474
no body bags, all the crew was safe. The videos weren't done by professionals and watched the aircraft versus the chutes. This is at least one which shows two chutes. Also the video with the female crew member, if you watch carefully shows her reaching into her vest for her pistol as the by-standers approach. She doesn't pull it when they tell her, in very good English, that they are friendly and there to help.
TiredTom
Tom Bruce 1
yes it is and Trump's gonna meet them
Nooge
Nooge 1
Why would he waste time meeting "Suckers"


Following his departure, Gold Star father Chief of staff Kelly reports that Trump made disparaging comments about KIA veterans, calling them "suckers and losers". In 2024, Kelly labeled Trump a "fascist"
alexa320
People will die. In a war, he said on national TV…..a sudden realization perhaps?
Nooge
Nooge 1
The Commander and Cheat had a sudden realization when Bibi told him what he was going to do

"Lil Marco" spit it out by accident ..he will be fired soon

"We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action; we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," Rubio ​said.
scubaboy3c
THIS! One thing about tRump, he can’t keep something secret when he thinks they’re doing something cool or smart, he wants to brag about it!
alexa320
Why expect anything else from him now? He’s opened a huge Pandora’s box with no end strategy. He’s not even sure how long this will go on for or how many more American lives it will cost. He wants to “minimize” casualties (how exactly is he going to do that?)but says he now guesses there will be more lives lost while others are saying this is not a war but a military operation!
Please pull the other one, we’ve seen this before.Nor is this the talk of someone who is confident in what he has unleashed . You can’t put the genie back in the bottle once you’ve opened it….
tjsweeny
Tom Sweeny 2
Bibi and putin have unredacted copies of the Epstein files
Nooge
Nooge 1
Putin has alot more than that
Nooge
Nooge 2
Putin got his asset to drive oil so he can cover the cost of his war crimes
ed7778
Will the U.S. be reimbursed? Naaah.
Nooge
Nooge 0
Naaah

You should fact check your ass-sumptions that reveal your magaterdism affliction

The Clinical observation of a Conned servatism exhibits moderate to severe symptoms of being underinformed and overopinionated

The United States was largely reimbursed for the 1991 liberation of Kuwait, with Kuwaiti contributions covering over $16 billion of the roughly $61 billion in total costs. While there were no new lump-sum payments specifically for the 1991 liberation in 2023, the two nations maintain a strong financial and military partnership, with Kuwait paying for part of the U.S. military presence.

Following the Gulf War, Kuwait and other allies contributed nearly $54 billion to offset the $61 billion cost of the war.
Iraq Reparations: The UN Compensation Commission concluded its work in 2022, with Iraq paying $52.4 billion for damages caused by its invasion.

Ongoing Defense Costs: Kuwait contributes to the costs of the U.S. military presence in the country.

I voted for GH Bush and I am proud of that vote ...regret to tell you that you need to own "with or without us " Dubya MD like you own The Commander and Cheat

Login

Don't have an account? Register now (free) for customized features, flight alerts, and more!