US military planes crash in Kuwait - crew 'unscathed'

Video appears to show a fighter jet crashing in Kuwait

Some breaking news from Kuwait - "several American fighter aircrafts came down this morning", says Kuwait's Ministry of Defence.

The crews "survived unscathed", and were evacuated and transferred to hospitals for health checks, it adds, and confirms the conditions of the crews as "stable".

The Ministry of Defence adds that it is coordinating with its US ally regarding the "circumstances of the incident", and is continuing investigations into the "causes of the incident".

Footage verified by the BBC shows the moment an apparent US fighter jet falls from the sky and crashes to the ground near Kuwait City.

It was filmed from the west of the city on the edge of the Al Jahra area.

Earlier, the Kuwaiti military said "several" US fighter planes had crashed in Kuwait, with the crew unharmed.

The video footage of what looks very much like an F-15E Strike Eagle - or a variant - shows the aircraft in a flat spin after a catastrophic failure, the cause of which is unknown.

No word yet from US Central Command, which controls US military operations in the area, but the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence says several US jets crashed in Kuwait, with the pilots ejecting, during a period of intense Iranian fire targeting the country.

F-15E Strike Eagles are air-to-air and air-to-ground multirole aircraft. We don’t yet know exactly what role they are carrying out in this conflict, but it seems highly likely they would be involved in defensive counter air operations to help intercept Iranian missiles and drones.

They may use onboard heat-seeking missiles to do this, longer-range missiles or even “guns” if close enough. There are other weapons available, too, such as laser-guided rockets.

It’s not clear whether any lost jets were brought down by friendly or hostile fire in this latest incident near the Iraqi border. But in a combat environment - with much "hot metal" flying around - incidents become more likely.