USAF F-15s Shooting: Video Emerges Indicating Kuwaiti Pilot’s Action Seems Deliberate

A video has emerged on social media showing the moment when a Kuwaiti F/A-18C Hornet shot down three F-15Es of the USAF on March 2.

The Kuwaiti Hornet pilot used AIM-9M or AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles to shoot the Strike Eagles down. He engaged the U.S. jets from very close range and is seen in what appears to be a dogfight with one of them, which indicates that this action might have been deliberate.

The engagement has taken place at a relatively low angle from the ground which made it possible to shoot the action from a mobile phone.

The U.S. Central Command has called it “friendly fire” incident in an official release but did not give details as to how the Kuwaiti pilot could have confused three US F-15E jets at close quarters to enemy planes. It did not mention that a Kuwaiti aircraft was involved but mentioned “Air defense” and “mistaken identity.”

All U.S. and allies’ planes are equipped with an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system that informs the pilot of all the friendly aircraft in the vicinity.

This could be perhaps the reason why the F-15E pilots did not consider the Kuwaiti F/-18 to be a hostile aircraft.

Before the missile is fired, it must achieve radar lock-on to the target aircraft. But since it happened at close range, there may have been no time for the USAF pilots to react.

All six crew members in the three US aircraft have been rescued and details of their de-briefing have not been released. There is also no information regarding the Kuwaiti pilot.