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This declassified Defense Intelligence Agency routing slip and message, released through The Black Vault, carries a report from the US Defense Attache Office in Tehran dated 23 September 1976 and prepared under Col. Frank B. McKenzie. It describes a UFO sighting over Tehran on 19 September 1976, when two Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4s were scrambled. The crews reported losing instruments and communications near a brilliant object, seeing smaller objects separate from it, and later detecting a beeper signal near the apparent landing site.
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## PAGE 2 12. (U) USDAO, TEHRAN, IRAN 13. (U) FRANK B. MCKENZIE, COL, USAF, DATT 14. (U) NA 15. THIS REPORT FORWARDS INFORMATION CONCERNING THE SIGHTING OF AN UPO IN IRAN ON 19 SEPTEMBER 1976. A. AT ABOUT 1238 AM ON 19 SEP 76 THE IMPERIDAL IRANIAN AIR FORCE (IIAF) COMMAND POST RECEIVED FOUR TELEPHONE CALLS FROM CITIZENS LIVING IN THE SHEMIRAN AREA OF TEHRAN SAYING THAT THEY HAD SEEN STRANGE OBJECTS IN THE SKY. SOME REPORTED A KIND OF BIRD LIKE OBJECT WHILE OTHERS REPORTED A MELICOPTER WITH A LIGHT ON. THERE WERE NO MELICOPTERS AIRBORNE AT THAT TIME. THE COMMAND POST CALLED BG YOUSEFI, ASSISTANT DEPUTY COMMANDER OF OPERATIONS. AFTER HE TOLD THE CITIZEN IT WAS ONLY STARS AND HAD TALKED TO MEHRABAD TOWER HE DECIDED TO LOOK FOR HIMSELF. HE NOTICED AN OBJECT IN THE SKY SIMILAR TO A STAR BIGGER AND BRIGHTER. HE DECIDED TO SCRAMBLE AN F=4 FROM SHAMROKHI AFB TO INVESTIGATE. B. AT 0138 HRS ON THE 19TH THE F=4 TOOK OFF AND PROCEEDED TO A POINT ABOUT 40 NM NORTH OF TEHRAN. DUE TO ITS BRILLIANCE THE OBJECT WAS EASILY VISIBLE FROM 70 MILES AWAY. AS THE F=4 APPROACHED A RANGE OF 25 NM HE LOST ALL INSTRUMENTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS (UHF AND INTERCOM). ME BROKE OFF THE INTERCEPT AND HEADED BACK TO SHAHROKHI. WHEN THE F=4 TURNED AWAY FROM THE OBJECT AND APPARENTLY WAS NO LONGER A THREAT TO IT. THE AIRCRAFT REGAINED ALL INSTRUMENTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS. AT 0148 HRS A SECOND F=4 WAS LAUNCHED. THE BACKSEATER ACQUIRED A RADAR LOCK ON AT 27 NM, 12 O'CLOCK HIGH POSITION WITH THE VC (RATE OF CLOSURE) AT 150 NMPH. AS THE RANGE DECREASED TO 25 NM THE OBJECT MOVED AWAY AT A SPEED THAT WAS VISIBLE ON THE RADAR SCOPE AND STAYED AT 25 NM. C. THE SIZE OF THE RADAR RETURN WAS COMPARABLE TO THAT OF A 707 TANKER. THE VISUAL SIZE OF THE OBJECT WAS DIFFICULT TO DISCERN BECAUSE OF ITS INTENSE BRILLIANCE. THE LIGHT THAT IT GAVE OFF WAS THAT OF FLASHING STROBE-LIGHTS ARRANGED IN A RECTANGULAR PATTERN AND ALTERNATING BLUE, GREEN, RED AND ORANGE IN COLOR. THE SEQUENCE OF THE LIGHTS WAS SO FAST THAT ALL THE COLORS COULD BE SEEN AT ONCE. THE OBJECT AND THE PURSUING F=4 CONTINUED ON A COURSE TO THE SOUTH OF TEHRAN WHEN ANOTHER BRIGHTLY LIGHTED OBJECT, ESTIMATED TO BE ONE HALF TO ONE THIRD THE APPARENT SIZE OF THE MOON, CAME OUT OF THE ORIGINAL OBJECT. THIS SECOND OBJECT HEADED STRAIGHT TOWARD THE F=4 AT A VERY FAST RATE OF SPEED. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO FIRE AN AIM=9 MISSILE AT THE OBJECT BUT AT THAT
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