A single Kuwaiti pilot flying an American-made fighter jet was responsible for downing three US planes worth a combined $300million in the most expensive friendly fire gaffe in modern warfare
A trigger happy Kuwaiti pilot accidentally shot down three state-of-the-art American jets, thinking they were enemy Iranian planes instead.
The gaffe, which took place around 6.2 miles from the US Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait, is believed to be the most expensive example of friendly fire in the history of modern warfare.
The three planes downed, all of which were a ultra high-tech model of aircraft called a F-15E Strike Eagle, cost a combined $100 million each, meaning the total damage came to an eye-watering $300 million.
F-15E Strike Eagles, which were originally built in the 90s and had a cost price of around $11 million then, are still considered the creme de la creme of fighter jets, something reflected in their whopping price.
Thankfully, the six on board the Eagles survived the incident relatively unscathed, with all managing to safely eject before the jets impacted the ground.
After ejecting, at least one of the pilots were angrily confronted on the ground, with locals believing them to be enemy Iranians.
In shocking scenes captured on video, a local man wielding what appears to be a pipe threatens a pilot, who desperately cries out that “I’m an American!”
In the video, the pilot can be seen getting down on one knee and flinging his hands up in front of him, all the while frantically reassuring the Kuwaiti that he is not Iranian and is in fact with the US Air Force.
While the pilots survived unscathed, the three jets were not so lucky.
Footage showed at least one of them exploding in a fireball and crashing into the city of Al Jahra, approximately 6.2 miles from the US airbase where they were originally situated.
US officials confirmed that the six who had been on board the three jets, – three pilots and three weapons systems officers – all survived the incident.
“During active combat, that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones, the US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses”, a statment read.
The ongoing conflict with Iran has already proved costly to the Americans.
As well as damage to its airfleet, six members of the US military have so far lost their lives, with 18 more injured.
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