Iranian account claims F-5s triggered Kuwait friendly fire on US F-15Es
The Iranian state-run news outlet, Shahrara News, has held an interview with what are claimed to be the Iranian pilots of the reported daring Iranian Northrop F-5 raid on Camp Buehring in Kuwait.
As a disclaimer, Iranian news is notoriously propagandised and routinely makes sensational claims that are often completely devoid of reality. This doesn’t mean what the pilots say is wrong or altered.
Iranian pilot account on F-5 raid on US air base
During the interview, the pilots provided a remarkable account of what happened. One of the pilots says that after they realised that the US and Israel had launched the air campaign against Iran, a plan to strike Camp Buehring was put into action.
One pilot says, “As the operation began, we started flying at very low altitude and swore to one another that we would carry it through. We flew so low that at times we passed beneath high-voltage power lines and remained below fifty feet.”
The pilot adds that they were protected by multilayered air defences, and they flew maintaining complete radio silence. He says they flew so low that they even passed between two ships in the Gulf.
The Iranian Air Force pilot carried on, “We entered Kuwaiti airspace at high speed, reached the base, and carried out a heavy bombardment using unguided free-fall bombs, which required us to fly directly over the target before release. We saw American helicopters being destroyed.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) will release a short documentary with firsthand accounts from F-5 Air Force pilots involved in the surprise operation targeting the U.S. Camp Buehring in Kuwait. pic.twitter.com/GjDxnOxk48
— OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) June 17, 2026
Adding a bit of poetic flair, he adds, “The destructive power was so great that it was as if God had turned each of our bombs into several bombs.” As they flew away, the pilots could see American equipment being destroyed behind them.
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Claim of US F-15E fighter jets being shot down
What the pilot says next is intriguing and potentially adds some badly needed context. At the time, AGN reported that three US F-15E Strike Eagles had been shot down in a dramatic friendly fire incident by a Kuwaiti F/A-18 legacy Hornet.
The incident has left analysts confused about how this could be possible. The shots happened at close range, and some even suggested the Kuwaiti pilot had gone rogue.
Following the strikes, the Iranian pilot says the “enemy” became confused, having not imagined an Iranian airstrike on Camp Buehring was possible.
He continued, “This caused Kuwait’s air defence forces to make a mistake, and a Kuwaiti F-18 fighter mistakenly targeted three American F-15 fighters.” The pilot suggests these F-15Es had been dispatched to shoot down the raiding Iranian F-5s or counterattack against Iran.
An US F-15 was shot down over Kuwait due to friendly fire. The pilot ejected successfully and was later recovered by locals on the ground. pic.twitter.com/2hh7tglSsq
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) March 2, 2026
The pilot said that thanks to their deceptive operation, the Americans were unable to pursue the F-5s, and they managed to return to the designated base in Iran. The operation lasted a total of fifty minutes.
Iranian Air Force during the air campaign
From other reporting, it is known that all six American pilots on the two-seater F-15Es safely ejected and were recovered. One pilot apparently quickly returned to service and was again shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, triggering a massive rescue effort.
— وزارة الدفاع – دولة قطر (@MOD_Qatar) March 2, 2026
Both the pilot and weapons systems officer of that downed F-15E were successfully recovered by the US from deep behind enemy lines.
While the raid has been previously reported in Western media, not all Iranian daring raids were as fortunate. During the air campaign, Qatar surprised the world when it announced it had intercepted and shot down two Iranian Su-24 Fencer bombers coming to attack a US base on its territory.
According to Qatari reporting, the Su-24s were only around two to five minutes from reaching their target.
On the first day of the air campaign, Tehran residents filmed an Iranian MiG-29 and Yak-130 advanced trainer/light attack aircraft patrolling the skies over the capital. A few days later, Israel released footage of one of its F-35s shooting down a Yak-130.
Numerous Iranian F-5s, F-14s, Mirage F1s, Chengdu J-7s, F-4 Phantom IIs, Il-76s, C-130s, and other military aircraft were destroyed on the ground.
🛩️IRANIAN JET SHOT DOWN: An IAF F-35I “Adir” fighter jet shot down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter jet.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 4, 2026
This is the first shootdown in history of a manned fighter aircraft by an F-35 “Adir” fighter jet.
But after the fighting stopped, it became clear that at least some of Iran’s tactical fleet had survived, as a Pakistani delegation was escorted by a pair of F-4s and a pair of MiG-29s. Some reports suggest that around a third of the Iranian Air Force was destroyed.
The US lost up to a couple of dozen manned aircraft, mostly to mishaps, self-destruction, and being destroyed on the ground by Iran. At least two dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones were shot down.
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
