'You are safe, thank you for helping us': Moment locals thank F-15 pilot after she was shot down over Kuwait
Three US F-15 fighter jets were shot down by Kuwaiti air defences in the friendly fire incident
A female pilot whose F-15 fighter jet was shot down in a friendly fire mishap was thanked by locals after she parachuted to the ground.
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The woman was filmed smiling while in her flight suit with her discarded parachute nearby after her F-15 was shot down over Kuwait.
A man approaches her and asks: “You need something to help you? “No problem, you are safe, you are safe. Everything good? Thank you for helping us,” the man continued.
Three US fighter jets were shot down by Kuwaiti air defences in the friendly fire incident, the US Central Command confirmed yesterday.
The jets, flying in support of Operation Epic Fury, went down over Kuwait at approximately 11:03pm Eastern Time.
In its statement, Central Command confirmed that all six aircrew had ejected safely, and were in stable condition after being recovered.
A Kuwaiti Defence Ministry spokesman confirmed multiple US military planes crashed in the early hours of Monday morning.
The US military said: "Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation."
It added that the exact cause of the incident remains under investigation.
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Video footage on X shows a US F-15E Strike Eagle engulfed in flames and spiralling downward around six miles from the US Ali Al Salem Air Base.
The jets have an estimated cost of $30 million each.
In a statement published to X, the Kuwaiti defence ministry confirmed the incident, adding that all crew members had been transferred to hospital and were in 'stable' condition.
It said search-and-rescue operations were launched immediately following the crashes and that crews were swiftly evacuated.
Three US soldiers have been killed and five others injured since operations began on Saturday morning.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to avenge their deaths, while warning that further casualties are likely before the conflict ends.
The war widened on Monday after Israel launched strikes on Lebanon in response to retaliatory fire by Hezbollah, following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
