Iranian F-4 Incident
Tier 2 — Declassified RecordsSeptember 19, 1976·Tehran, Iran - airspace over Tehran and surrounding regions~23k nearby sightings
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An Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom scrambled to intercept a bright object over Tehran experienced complete electronic failure when approaching the target. A second F-4 also scrambled, achieved radar lock, and attempted to fire an AIM-9 missile - at which point all weapons systems and instrument panels went dark. When the pilot broke off the attack, systems resumed. A declassified Defense Intelligence Agency report documented the incident and assessed it as a genuine encounter with an unknown craft. The DIA document is one of the most specific and compelling official UAP records released by the US government.
Key Facts
- ›Date: September 19, 1976, approximately 12:30 AM local time
- ›Initial reports came from civilian phone calls to Mehrabad Air Base reporting a bright object over Tehran
- ›First F-4 scrambled; pilot reported loss of all instruments and communications when approaching - turned back and systems immediately restored
- ›Second F-4 scrambled by General Parviz Jafari; achieved radar lock on an object roughly the size of a 707 tanker
- ›A smaller object separated from the main object and approached the second F-4; Jafari attempted to fire an AIM-9 missile
- ›At the moment of weapons selection, all systems failed - instruments, radio, weapons control all went dark
- ›When Jafari broke off the attack and descended, all systems immediately restored
- ›A second smaller object separated from the main object and impacted the ground with a bright flash but no explosion
- ›The US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) produced a classified report assessing the incident
- ›The DIA document was later declassified and released - it is considered one of the most specific official UAP documents in the public record