On May 17, 1987, the USS Stark, a guided-missile frigate, was on a regular patrol in the Persian Gulf. It took on an inbound aircraft at 10:09 p.m. local time. The fighter was initially thought to be a Dassault Mirage F1 fighter. The fighter repeatedly asked for identification, but Stark got no response. A Dassault Falcon 50 business jet that had been modified to carry two AM-39 Exocet missiles was the genuine aircraft that was mistaken for an F1 fighter. The first missile was launched by an Iraqi aircraft from a distance of 22 miles, and the second Exocet was launched from a distance of 15 miles. The incoming missiles were not picked up by Stark's Sea-Wiz defenses. The initial missile struck the ship's port side. Its rocket fuel generated a large fire, even though it did not detonate. After 30 seconds, the second Exocet likewise hit the port side. When this missile went off, it left a 10-by-15-foot hole in the left side of the frigate. The pilot thought Stark to be an Iranian tanker, according to an apology from Iraq. Before departing for Florida, Stark underwent temporary repairs in Bahrain.

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