Iranian Drone Strikes Take Out New Kuwaiti and Italian Eurofighters at Ali Al-Salem Air Base

Reports from multiple sources have indicated that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has successfully neutralised five Eurofighters at Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait. The strike is reported to have destroyed three Kuwaiti Air Force Eurofighters and severely damaged two Italian Air Force Eurofighters. This follows the confirmed destruction of an Italian Air Force MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and attack drone at the same facility, and strikes on Italian ground forces at facilities in Iraq by Iranian-aligned Iraqi paramilitary groups. These operations have highlighted Italy’s often overlooked but significant role in supporting U.S.-led operations against adversaries of the collective Western Bloc, which have been disproportionate to the Southern European state’s military power and the size of its economy. 

Following the U.S. and Israel’s initiation of a full scale assault on Iran on February 28, which has been supported by countries across the Persian Gulf and Europe, Iranian counterattacks have achieved considerable successes in destroying high value aircraft and major military facilities across the Gulf region. Strikes by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were on March 16 reported to have destroyed a United Arab Emirates Air Force Saab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system valued at approximately $500 million at Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, with the destruction of multiple other aircraft including MQ-9s also assessed to be likely during the attack. A closely coinciding attack damaged at least six U.S. Air Force KC-135 tankers at Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia.

Kuwaiti Air Force Eurofighters are some of the most expensive tactical combat aircraft operational anywhere in the world, with a contract signed in 2015 to acquire a single squadron’s worth of 28 aircraft valued at 8 billion euros, or over $9 billion, placing their cost at an exorbitant $321 million each. The destruction of three fighters would thus set the Kuwaiti Defence Ministry back over $900 million. The extreme cost of the aircraft led the Kuwaiti parliamentary committee to investigate a possible large-scale misappropriation of state funds in 2020, although it has been far from uncommon for defence clients in the Arab World to pay outstandingly high prices for Western fighter aircraft. The capabilities of the Eurofighter have consistently been evaluated poorly, with the Qatar Emiri Air Force confirmed in October 2025 to be seeking to retire its 24 Eurofighters from service, just three years after they began deliveries to the country in 2022.