In the span of a few violent minutes, one of the most sophisticated air defense systems on Earth appears to have misidentified three of America’s premier strike fighters as threats. The jets were flying in the thick of Operation Epic Fury, a high‑tempo campaign against Iranian missiles, drones, and aircraft. In that crowded, electrified airspace, Kuwaiti Patriot batteries fired — and three F‑15Es vanished from radar as parachutes bloomed over Al Jahra. Every crew member survived, but the political damage began instantly.
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