A sole Kuwaiti pilot flying an American-made fighter jet mistakenly shot down three US F-15 planes amid a friendly fire blunder, a report has claimed.

The F/A-18 pilot from Kuwait launched three missiles against the American planes, sources familiar with initial reports of the incident told the Wall Street Journal. 

The American pilots were forced to eject to safety after the Kuwaiti pilot mistook their  F-15E Strike Eagles for Iranian jets on Monday morning – costing US forces $300million to replace the damaged planes. 

Footage posted to social media showed the astonishing moment an American pilot, who parachuted out of his fighter jet shot down over Kuwait, was mistaken for an Iranian soldier. 

A group of local men were shown approaching the pilot and shouting while one of them brandished a metal pipe. 

The pilot was heard repeating: ”Back up. Stop!’ as the men moved closer and closer, appearing to think the airman was Iranian.

The tense situation was defused once the pilot finally told the locals he was American, after which they retreated and left him alone.

The pilot was aboard one of the three US jets that were mistakenly shot down over Kuwait on Monday.

A Kuwaiti pilot flying an American-made fighter jet mistakenly shot down three US F-15 planes amid a friendly fire blunder, it has been revealed. In this image, a US airman who parachuted out of his jet can be seen backing up after he was mistook for an Iranian pilot by Kuwaiti locals 

Footage on social media shows a group of men approaching the pilot and shouting, while one of them brandishes a metal pipe

The plane was seen in a tailspin falling out of the sky near a US base in Kuwait

Footage had earlier emerged showing the $90 million planes spiralling out of control as they crashed to the ground.

US CENTCOM said all six crew members ejected safely were recovered, evacuated and transferred to hospitals for health checks.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence said it was coordinating with the US regarding the ‘circumstances of the incident’ and would investigate.

A spokesman for Kuwait’s defence ministry said Monday: ‘Several US warplanes crashed this morning. Confirming that all crew members survived.

‘Authorities immediately initiated search and rescue operations, evacuating the crews and transporting them to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. Their condition is stable.’

The viral video followed another, more friendly interaction between another ejected pilot and locals in Kuwait.

Footage on social media showed an unnamed female pilot beaming ear-to-ear despite being shot out of the sky moments before in a friendly fire mishap.

‘You need something to help you?’ the man recording could be heard asking the pilot as he approached her.

A separate clip showed an unknown female pilot as she beamed from ear-to-ear despite being shot out of the sky moments before in a friendly fire mishap

‘No problem, you are safe, you are safe. Everything good? Thank you for helping us,’ the man continued.

Footage also showed the third pilot walking on the ground after they too successfully ejected.

Kuwait hosts the largest US military presence in the region, with some 13,500 troops stationed in the Middle East. 

It comes as an operations centre targeted by an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait killed six American soldiers on Sunday. 

The development raises questions about the safety precautions that the US military had in place as it, along with Israel, launched an attack on Iran, which has responded with retaliatory strikes against several countries in the region. 

President Donald Trump and top defence leaders have said more American casualties are likely. 

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the six soldiers were killed in a ‘tactical operations centre’ when a projectile made its way past air defences. 

A day later, the Pentagon confirmed it was a drone strike in Port Shuaiba in Kuwait, when announcing the names of four of the soldiers who were slain. 

A satellite image taken Monday showed the main building in the complex destroyed, with a trail of black smoke rising from it. It is located in the heart of Port Shuaiba, a working seaport and industrial area just south of Kuwait City.