The “1976 Iran Incident” – UFO Encounter over Tehran, Iran

The "1976 Iran Incident" – UFO Encounter over Tehran, Iran. Released on December 3, 2020, this document is part of the NSA's declassified files, archived on The Black Vault website. The document was released through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, with the case number and release date not specified. The declassification authority is not mentioned. NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'TI Captan Henry S. ShielrIs, HQ USAfE/IHOMI, writes: Sometime in his career, each pilot can expect to encounter strange, unusual happenings which will never be adequately or entirely explained by logic or subsequent investigation. The following article recounts just such an episode as reported by two F-4 Phantom crews of the Imperial Iranian Air Force during late 1976. No additional information or explanation of the strange events has been forthcoming; the story will be filed away and probably forgotten, but it makes interesting, and possibly disturbing, reading. Until 0030 on a clear autumn morning, it had been an entirely routine night watch for the Imperial Iranian Air Force's command post in the Tehran area. In quick succession, four calls arrived from one of the city's suburbs, reporting a series of strange airborne objects. These unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) were described as "bird-like" or as brightly-lit helicopters, although none were airborne at the time. Unable to convince the callers that they were only seeing stars, a senior officer went outside to see for himself. Observing an object to the north like a star, only larger and brighter, he immediately scrambled an IIAF F-4 to investigate. The object no longer regarded the aircraft as a threat. The F-4 pilot reported that the brilliant object was easily visible 70 miles away. When approximately 27 NM distant, the interceptor lost all instrumentation and UHF/Intercom communications. Upon breaking off the intercept and turning towards his home base, all systems returned to normal, as if the strange incident had never occurred. A second F-4 was scrambled ten minutes after the first. The new object reported radar-lock on the UFO at 27 NM, 12,000 feet high position, and a rate of 150 knots closure. Upon reaching the 25 NM point, the object began rapidly moving away to maintain a constant separation distance while still visible on the radar scope. While the size of the radar return was similar to that of a KC-135, its brilliant estimation of actual size was impossible. This second object was described as displaying a lay pattern and alternating blue, green, red, and orange. The sequence was so fast that all colors could be seen at once. As the F-4 continued pursuit south of Tehran, a second brightly-lit object, about one-third the size of the moon, detached from the original UFO and headed straight for the F-4 at a high-speed. The pilot attempted to evade an AIM-9 missile, but was prevented by a sudden power loss in his control panel. UHF and intercom communications were simultaneously lost. The pilot flew as low over the area as possible, fixing the object's exact location. Upon return to home base, both crewmen had difficulty adjusting their night vision devices for landing. The landing was further complicated by excessive interference on UHF and a complete loss of all communications when passing through a degree of magnetic variation from the home base. The inertial navigation system simultaneously fluctuated from 30 to 50 degrees. An airliner approaching the area also experienced a similar communications failure, but reported no unusual sightings. Following the incident, the F-4 crew was flown by helicopter to the location where they believed the object had landed. This turned out to be a 2-year-old make bed, with nothing unusual noticed. As the helicopter circled to the west, a very noticeable signal was received, and eventually traced to a nearby house. They immediately inspected the house, and the inhabitants reported seeing lights and a bright light, like lightning. The helicopter returned to base, and arrangements were made to investigate further. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. For more information, visit storyflo.com. The canonical PDF can be found at https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/nsa/now_you_see.pdf.