According to NBC journalists, an Iranian F-5 fighter managed to slip through a layered air defense network and strike the US military base Camp Buehring in Kuwait at the start of the Middle East conflict.

The base was reportedly protected by Patriot missile batteries, modern radar stations and short-range interception systems. The Iranian aircraft, however, flew at extremely low altitude, avoiding detection while the radars were overloaded by a mass attack involving drones and missiles.

NBC reported that the fighter hit the American facility with conventional aerial bombs. The strike caused panic among allied forces and triggered a serious friendly-fire incident. A Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet pilot mistook US F-15E Strike Eagles for Iranian MiG-29s or F-14 Tomcats. As a result, three US Air Force aircraft were shot down, though all six crew members managed to eject.

Analysts believe the aircraft involved may not have been a standard F-5 Tiger II, but Iran’s modified version, the HESA Saeqeh. Although the jet is based on 1960s technology, Iranian engineers have substantially upgraded the platform.