A US Air Force F-15 fighter jet reportedly crashed in Kuwait on March 2, 2026, with online footage showing the aircraft descending in flames before impact and both aircrew members ejecting by parachute.
The incident has been widely described online as a possible “friendly fire” loss, but neither the US military nor Kuwaiti authorities had issued a public statement confirming the cause, location, or unit involved at the time of writing.
A video circulating online appears to show the fighter falling in a flat spin, with its engines engulfed in flames.
An American F-15 fighter jet was shot down by friendly fire in Kuwait. Video shows the pilots managed to eject in time. One of the pilots, who landed on the ground, was surrounded by local residents. pic.twitter.com/QZcRFom7sp
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) March 2, 2026
Posts circulating on social media claimed the aircraft’s pilot and weapons systems officer both ejected and were later located on the ground by local civilians. Separate images shared on social platforms purport to show one of the airmen being moved in a civilian vehicle, while the other one is recovered by civilians near his parachute.
Both the Pilot and Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) onboard the U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle that crashed this morning over Kuwait due to a “friendly fire” incident, appear to have survived, being found by locals and transferred to local authorities in Kuwait. pic.twitter.com/HyxpeI0QUL
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 2, 2026
F-15E-type aircraft are operated in the region by both the US Air Force and Israel, which flies a closely related Strike Eagle variant known as the F-15I Ra’am.
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