All about F/A-18 Hornet that accidentally shot down F-15s amid Iran tensions

Kuwait, apart from Canada and Australia, are among countries to acquire the F/A-18 Hornet from the US. (X/@clashreport)

• An F/A-18 jet, not SAMs, downed three US F-15Es in Kuwait
• All six aircrew ejected safely and are in stable condition
• The incident is under investigation by US and Kuwaiti forces

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An American-origin F/A-18 fighter jet, and not surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) as initially believed, had taken out the three F-15E Strike Eagles in a 'friendly fire incident' in Kuwaiti airspace on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported.

CENTCOM initially put out a press release about the three jets going down in an ‘apparent friendly fire incident’.

“At 11:03 p.m. ET, March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident. During active combat—that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” the statement read.

It added, “All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.”

Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet: All you need to know about the craft

The  F-18 Hornet  is an all-weather supersonic, twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft. It is designed as both a fighter and ground attack craft, which is why it has the F/A designation.

It is designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop. The craft can be used for versatile purposes including fighter escort, close air support, and fleet air defense. It began to be used by the US Navy since 1983, after they developed the design of the YF-17.

Since then, many countries have also purchased the aircraft from the USA. Among them are Australia, Canada, Spain, and Kuwait. The Kuwait Air Force ordered these planes 1988. Delivery went on from October 1991 until August 1993.

The F-18 Hornets came as the successor of the US Navy's F-14 Tomcat swept-wing carrier-based fighter jet, which enjoyed pop culture status after it appeared in the 1986 film, Top Gun. The Hornets also took over the duties earlier done by the A-7 Corsair and the F-14 Phantom.

The 2022 film Top Gun-2 featured the F-18 Super Hornets, coincidentally, the same fighter jet that replaced the naval aircraft that played a large role in the film's first part. Boeing says the F/A-18 Super Hornet is the backbone of carrier air wings - a combat-proven, multirole strike fighter.