3 US warplanes shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, pilots bail out in friendly fire incident, CENTCOM says

All six aircrew members safely ejected, were quickly recovered, and are reported to be in stable condition.

CENTCOM said additional details are expected as the review progresses.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Saud Al-Atwan said Kuwaiti authorities immediately launched search and rescue operations, evacuated the aircrews from the crash sites and transferred them to hospitals to assess their conditions and provide any necessary medical care.

Al-Atwan added that Kuwaiti and U.S. forces were coordinating on the circumstances of the incident and implementing joint technical procedures as part of the response.

Video from the crash appeared to show one of the jets descending rapidly in a steep dive before disappearing from view.

In separate footage, pilots could be seen parachuting toward the ground surrounded by smoke.

The Kuwait Army's official X account said its Air Defense Force confronted a number of "hostile aerial targets" at dawn, intercepting and tracking them as part of operations in the central part of the country. 

The post did not specify how many targets were engaged or detail their nature, but described the response as efficient and conducted under full combat readiness to protect Kuwait's airspace.