Kuwaiti F/A-18's Triple Friendly Fire Shootdown Gets Stranger by the Day
5 days ago
- #aviation
- #friendly-fire
- #military
- A Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Hornet shot down three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles in a friendly-fire incident.
- The engagement likely involved heat-seeking AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, with the F-15E pilots possibly unaware until detonation.
- Video footage shows one F-15E hit, burning, and entering a flat spin, with crew ejecting; the F/A-18 is also visible.
- An experienced F/A-18 pilot described the incident as 'very strange,' questioning how such a mistake could occur.
- The incident raises concerns about deconfliction in complex war zones, especially with real threats like Iranian aircraft.
- Previous friendly-fire incidents, like the 1994 F-15 shootdown of UH-60 helicopters, highlight the challenges of visual ID.
- Speculation includes potential procedural errors, ground-control intercept issues, or even a rogue pilot scenario.
- The within-visual-range nature of the engagement makes the incident particularly unusual and hard to explain.