However, no of the Kuwaiti ground-to-air missiles work that way.
Kuwait has 35 Patriot M902 rocket batteries and a smaller number of HAWK systems, NASAMS and Italian production Fallen 2000.
All these systems are firing radar-driven missiles, not thermal-guided missiles.
PAC-3 Patriot missiles physically hit the center of the mass of incoming jet aircraft or ballistic missiles, while missiles fired by another Kuwaiti systems detonate the shrapnel head at close scope from incoming targets.
utilized against jet aircraft, they usually detonate between mark fuel tanks and cockpit.
Traces usually left by PAC-3 missiles and akin were not visible in the sky at the time of the F-15 shot down.
Assuming Kuwait utilized against the F-15 its largest and most modern Patriot systems, the fact that the full six-man crew survived is simply a statistical anomaly.
No pilot, no friend, no enemy, has always survived the successful capture of the Patriot missile.
Ukrainian fighter pilot Alexey Mes died erstwhile his U.S.-delivered F-16 was shot down by a PAC-3 rocket delivered by the U.S. in 2024, and the pilot and navigator of a British reconnaissance aircraft Tornado died immediately erstwhile the PAC-3 rocket hit their aircraft over Iraq in 2003.
Friends and enemies
Patriot and another U.S. air defence systems are equipped with IFF technology (Identification of Your Alien).
IFF transponders in American combat aircraft broadcast an encrypted signal that can read ground radars, indicating that the aircraft is allied and preventing the usage of weapons against it.
It is highly improbable that American aircraft will fly over Kuwait without connecting the IFF to Kuwaiti air defense, although specified errors have already occurred:
The death of Alexey Mes in 2024 and the British crew in 2003 was attributed to the non-transmitting by the air crew and ground-based IFF codes before missions.
Tips in statements
CENTCOM’s message contains 1 possibly meaningful information that during the shootings it lasted ‘the attacks of Iranian aircraft’.
The presence of Iranian jets alone does not mean that they were liable for shooting down the F-15, it simply cannot be excluded at the moment.
CENTCOM stated that ‘Kuwait confessed to this incident’, But the message of the Ministry of defence of Kuwait does not mention any self-fire.
Instead, it was reported that it crashed ‘several’ U.S. aircraft and that at that time was above the heads ‘many hostile air purposes’.
Who shot down the F-15?
There are 2 competing theories.
CENTCOM Explanation on ‘own deafening’ is not technically indisputable and is not supported by Kuwait, but remains possible.
The Pentagon is presently investigating the incidental and promised that "more information will be published as shortly as it is available".
On the another hand, the Iranian military admitted to shooting down at least 1 of the aircraft.
In a message issued on Monday, the Chatam Al-Anbia Air Defence Base reported that "The F-15[belonging] to an invasive American army that intended to attack the country was tracked down and shot down by the muslim Republic of Iran Air Defense".
The Chatam Al-Anbija Air Defence Base located in Tehran coordinates the air defence activities between the Iranian Army and the muslim Revolution defender Corps (IRGC).
Iranian interceptors may have reached the airspace over Kuwait, but Iranian mid- and long-range air defence systems besides launch large radar-controlled missiles that typically destruct enemy aircraft.
Therefore, the apparent conclusion may seem that aircraft were shot down by short-range thermally guided missiles specified as R-73 or R-74, utilized by the Iranian air force.
However, having only the authoritative statements of both parties at their disposal, the RT cannot speculate whether that was the case.
Two permanent things in war are that mistakes happen, and armies lie about their victories and defeats.
For the United States, no of these explanations supply a affirmative picture: either lost 3 aircraft in 1 day due to incompetence and confusion between their staff and allies, or due to an enemy considered weaker and standing on the brink of defeat. For now, the fact remains a fog of war.
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/news/633656-did-kuwait-shoot-down-f15/
