Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Friday, February 3
    Trending
    • February 3, 2023: Some Questions on this Week’s News
    • This Day in History on February 3rd
    • History Short: The Most Important Naval Battle You Never Heard Of
    • This Day in History on February 2nd
    • History Short: What Else is February 2nd Known For?
    • Triumphs and Tragedies of the Space Shuttle Program: A Compilation
    • This Day in History on February 1st
    • History Short: Who is America’s Greatest Male Actor?
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Military»September 19, 1976: The Tehran UFO Incident – 2 Iranian F-4 Phantoms IIs Outsmarted by UFO
    Military

    September 19, 1976: The Tehran UFO Incident – 2 Iranian F-4 Phantoms IIs Outsmarted by UFO

    Major DanBy Major DanSeptember 19, 2014Updated:May 26, 20203 Comments3 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On September 19, 1976, 2 F-4 Phantom IIs of the Imperial Iranian Air Force flew out to intercept a UFO over the capital city of Tehran.  As each fighter jet approached the UFO, navigation, weapons, communications and other avionics systems suddenly became inoperable.  Only after the F-4s distanced themselves from the UFO, did the pilots regain control.

    Digging Deeper

    The Iranian Air Force had received numerous reports of an object in the sky that appeared brighter and larger than a star, and commanders ordered that the object be intercepted.

    The first jet got within 25 miles of the object before it experienced the odd electronic failures and was forced to turn away.  A short while later, the second jet approached and at 27-miles range, managed to get a radar lock on the target.  The object had the radar signature of a 707 jetliner, but with its brilliant and many smaller colored lights, it was clearly not a jetliner.  The crew of the second F-4 then noticed how a smaller object seemed to detach itself from the larger object and chase them.  When the second F-4 attempted to engage with its radar-guided missiles, it too experienced electronics systems failures, and the crew feared for their lives.

    Then a second smaller object also detached itself from the main UFO and fell to earth.  The spot the second ejected object landed was later identified as a dry bed lake, but no trace of it on the ground was found. 

    A third smaller object also coming from the main UFO then flew over the air base control tower, at which time the control tower’s equipment also failed, as did the electronics on an airliner that happened to be flying within a couple dozen miles of the object.

    The two fighter pilots and their crews as well as the Iranian defense authorities were convinced the UFO and the smaller objects, which they called “fireballs,” were extraterrestrial. 

    Of course, the possibility of a remarkably fast Soviet jet was considered, but Soviet jets do not glow brighter than stars.

    The pilots described the main UFO as saucer shaped and having a half-round canopy or dome on its top.  From certain angles, it appeared tubular.  They could not estimate its size due to the bright light but believed it traveled as fast as 2,000 to 3,000 mph.

    This event occurred before the Islamic Revolution, at a time the United States military was still working closely with the Iranian military, so it was unlikely the UFO was a secret American plane or drone.

    Of course the U.S. Air Force was quite interested in the event, and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) documented the incident and sent reports to the White House, the military, the CIA and the NSA.  Unfortunately, after the Iranian Revolution occurred in 1979, all access to Iranian records was closed off.

    Explanations from skeptics that the object was a planet, star or plane do not add up. 

    Question for students (and subscribers): Was the UFO really extraterrestrial?  You decide, and let us know what you think.  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Kean, Leslie.  UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record.  Crown Archetype, 2010.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleSeptember 18, 2014: A New King for Scotland?
    Next Article September 20, 2000: British MI6 HQ Hit By Anti-Tank Rocket!
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: The Most Important Naval Battle You Never Heard Of

    February 3, 2023

    History Short: What Poison Gasses were Used in World War I?

    January 31, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 30th, 2023)

    January 30, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    February 3, 2023: Some Questions on this Week’s News

    February 3, 2023

    This Day in History on February 3rd

    February 3, 2023

    History Short: The Most Important Naval Battle You Never Heard Of

    February 3, 2023

    This Day in History on February 2nd

    February 2, 2023

    History Short: What Else is February 2nd Known For?

    February 2, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.