American professor flags ‘gaping hole in US defense’ after Kuwait shoots down 3 F‑15s in 'friendly‑fire'

The F-15 jets were 'mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences', officials announced on Monday. All six crew ejected safely and have been recovered, they added. (File photo)

An American professor has raised sharp questions about US command integrity and defense coordination after US Central Command confirmed that three US F‑15E Strike Eagles were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses during active combat amid Iranian missile and drone attacks. The US acknowledged the incident and said all six aircrew ejected and were recovered safely, Reuters and BBC reported.

Citing conversations with military sources, the professor, Adam Cochran, argued that the official explanation did not align with how US–allied air‑defense systems typically function. He said the Kuwaiti Patriot system—most likely responsible for the shoot‑downs—relies on multilayer identification protocols including radar‑track behavior, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), Link‑16 data, and pre‑shared Air Tasking Orders. According to Cochran, multiple simultaneous failures across these systems would have been required for three F‑15s to be hit in a single night.

"The F-15 'friendly fire' claim is either *lie* or a US command failure. But something is OFF," Cochran shared with his nearly three lakh followers on X. His post has received more than two million views.

He stressed that the missiles used by Kuwait—Patriot, Improved HAWK, and SHORAD platforms—have varying capabilities, with only the Patriot system reliably able to strike high‑speed targets such as an F‑15. He noted that an F‑15 pilot would normally receive radar‑lock alerts against systems like HAWK, making three successful hits “deeply unlikely” without far broader system degradation.

A chain of failures or systemic blind spots

Cochran argued that for Kuwait to engage three US fighters, the US would have had to:

• Fail to share IFF encryption keys
• Fail to integrate Link‑16 feeds
• Fail to share Air Tasking Orders
• Fail to initiate emergency command notifications after the first ejection
• Experience severe electronic or radar degradation, or
• Face a far heavier barrage of incoming Iranian fire than publicly acknowledged

CENTCOM has so far only stated that the jets were shot down “during active combat… that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones,” adding that an investigation is underway.

Potential implications for US regional posture

Cochran said the incident suggests either a deliberate operational choice that left an ally without essential identification data—or serious, unreported damage to US command‑and‑control, early‑warning, or communications infrastructure. Both scenarios amount to what he termed a “gaping hole in US defense,” raising pressing questions about coordination between U.S. and Gulf allies during high‑tempo operations.

The shoot‑downs occurred as the Iran conflict widened across the Gulf, with Kuwait also intercepting hostile drones the same day.

In his post, the professor urged those with access to Kuwaiti or US command channels to press for clarity on how multiple layers of identification safeguards could fail simultaneously.

"We are not getting the real story from the US side here. People with contacts in Kuwait, or active command, should be asking serious questions about this blunder. As it likely points to a gaping hole in US defense that puts our service members at serious risk!" Cochran concluded.