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how many f15s have been shot down

Several dozen F‑15s have been destroyed or written off over the years, but none are confirmed to have been shot down by an enemy fighter in air‑to‑air combat as of early 2026.

Quick Scoop

  • The F‑15 family (F‑15A/B/C/D/E and F‑15J/DJ) has over 100 credited air‑to‑air kills and no verified air‑to‑air combat losses to enemy fighters.
  • However, many F‑15s have been lost in:
    • Accidents and training crashes.
* Ground fire and combat losses of unclear cause.
* Friendly‑fire incidents (including the March 2026 Kuwait air‑defense shoot‑down of three F‑15E Strike Eagles, with all crews surviving).
  • Claims that enemy fighters have downed F‑15s exist in various sources and forum debates, but they remain unproven or disputed, so they are not counted in official tallies.

How many F‑15s total have been lost?

There is no single, universally accepted public number because different air forces and sources track losses differently (training vs. combat, write‑offs vs. repairable damage). Public lists, such as the compiled “List of F‑15 losses,” document dozens of individual F‑15 airframes written off across accidents, peacetime crashes, and combat operations. These lists grow over time and are considered incomplete rather than an official master record.

A rough takeaway:

  • “Zero shot down by enemy fighters” is about air‑to‑air combat losses , not about never being lost at all.
  • Including accidents, ground fire, and friendly fire, the total number of F‑15s destroyed or written off is well above a few dozen , but an exact, fully verified global total is not publicly available.

Recent “latest news” angle

  • In March 2026, three U.S. F‑15E Strike Eagles were brought down over Kuwait by friendly Kuwaiti air defenses during operations against Iran; all six crew members ejected and survived.
  • This incident renewed online discussions of “how many F‑15s have been shot down” and highlighted that the F‑15’s vaunted air‑to‑air record does not mean the jet is invulnerable to mistakes, misidentification, or ground‑based defenses.

Forum / debate flavor

Some enthusiasts argue that “the F‑15 has never been shot down,” meaning in a clean enemy‑fighter‑vs‑F‑15 dogfight, and cite the 100+ to 0 air‑to‑air record.

Critics push back, pointing to alleged or rumored downings in regional wars, or to friendly‑fire and accident losses, and claim that the “perfect record” is marketing spin.

In practical terms, if you’re asking “how many F‑15s have been shot down,” the most accurate short answer is:

  • Enemy fighters: No confirmed F‑15s shot down in air‑to‑air combat.
  • Overall losses (all causes): Dozens of airframes lost worldwide to accidents, ground fire, and friendly fire, with the exact total uncertain in open sources.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.