F14s vs UFOs - in Iran
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F14s vs UFOs - in Iran
War is Boring: F-14s Versus UFOs … in Iran
An incredible report from Babak Taghvaee in the latest issue of Combat Aircraft magazine. According to Taghvaee, the Iranian air force’s fleet of 1970s-vintage F-14 Tomcat fighters have spent the last nine years chasing around mysterious flying, glowing objects over Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The Iranians believe the objects are spy drones belonging to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, sent to sniff out Tehran’s suspected atomic weapons program. But they attribute to these alleged Unmanned Aerial Vehicles flight characteristics and capabilities far beyond what any known drone can achieve. And just last year one of the alleged flying robots apparently also shot down an F-14 attempting to intercept it. Or at least some Iranians seem to believe so.
Honestly, I have no idea what to make of any of this. Except AWESOME.
The Shah’s Tomcats
The Shah of Iran ordered 80 F-14s from Grumman in the early 1970s and had received 79 of them by the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution that deposed the Shah and turned Iran from a strong U.S. ally to one of America’s bitterest enemies.
The twin-engine, swing-wing F-14s, among the most powerful interceptors in the world, are the flagships of the Iranian air force. The sudden cut-off of U.S. assistance meant hard times for the Tomcat fleet, as did the brutal war with Iraq in the 1980s.
But Iranian state industry learned to fix and modify the F-14s, thanks in part to plans and equipment acquired from American sources by Tehran’s spies. In the early 2000s, Iran still operated some 50 Tomcats — and they would soon be the only operational examples left in the world as the U.S. Navy finally replaced its own F-14s with newer jets.
Over the decades Tehran has built three major nuclear facilities that could, in theory, be used to assemble atomic weapons: reactors at Bushehr and Arak and an enrichment plant at Natanz. This infrastructure became public knowledge in 2002. No doubt the CIA took a strong interest. “A number of reconnaissance UAVs were sent to collect intelligence to prepare for a possible attack” by Western forces, Taghvaee writes.
To protect the nuke facilities, in 2004 Iran deployed a task force composed of eight F-4E fighters and eight F-14s plus a former 707 airliner and a C-130 cargo plane outfitted with sensors and radios for command and control. The task force encountered what it believed were CIA drones with “astonishing flight characteristics.”
The UAVs could jam radars and disrupt interceptors’ navigation systems. They flew “outside the atmosphere” at speeds of up to Mach 10. They could hover. Flying at night, they emitted a telltale blue light that led to their nickname: “luminous objects.”
“In several cases … F-14s faced them but were unable to operate their armament systems properly,” Taghvaee writes. One Tomcat taking off to intercept a luminous object on Jan. 26, 2012 mysteriously exploded, killing both crewmen. Taghvaee implies the alleged UAV was somehow responsible, as the F-14 in question was “one of the fittest” of the 40 or so Tomcats then in service.
Yes, but …
It should go without saying that the CIA and the Pentagon fly reconnaissance aircraft near—and even over—Iranian nuclear sites. In late 2012 and again this March, Iranian fighters tried to intercept American Predator drones outside Tehran’s airspace. In the March incident, a U.S. Air Force F-22 stealth fighter blocked the intercept with some Top Gun-style theatrics.
In 2009, the Air Force copped to the existence of a new, previously secret drone operated in conjunction with the intelligence agency. The RQ-170 Sentinel was based in southern Afghanistan within short flying distance of Iran. In December 2011, a Sentinel crashed on the Afghanistan-Iran border and was captured by Iranian troops.
Neither the Predator nor the Sentinel is particularly high-flying nor can hover or glow blue. And neither has the electrical power to scramble radars and navigation gear.
Rumors abound that the Air Force and CIA operate a stealthy new drone that has not been disclosed to the public. Even if they do, it’s unlikely that the new UAV is capable of Mach-10 hypersonic flight—the Pentagon is still struggling to reach Mach 5.
So if Iranian F-14s truly are chasing around super-fast, super-high-flying and lethal UFOs, what exactly are they?
Hell if I know.
An incredible report from Babak Taghvaee in the latest issue of Combat Aircraft magazine. According to Taghvaee, the Iranian air force’s fleet of 1970s-vintage F-14 Tomcat fighters have spent the last nine years chasing around mysterious flying, glowing objects over Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The Iranians believe the objects are spy drones belonging to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, sent to sniff out Tehran’s suspected atomic weapons program. But they attribute to these alleged Unmanned Aerial Vehicles flight characteristics and capabilities far beyond what any known drone can achieve. And just last year one of the alleged flying robots apparently also shot down an F-14 attempting to intercept it. Or at least some Iranians seem to believe so.
Honestly, I have no idea what to make of any of this. Except AWESOME.
The Shah’s Tomcats
The Shah of Iran ordered 80 F-14s from Grumman in the early 1970s and had received 79 of them by the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution that deposed the Shah and turned Iran from a strong U.S. ally to one of America’s bitterest enemies.
The twin-engine, swing-wing F-14s, among the most powerful interceptors in the world, are the flagships of the Iranian air force. The sudden cut-off of U.S. assistance meant hard times for the Tomcat fleet, as did the brutal war with Iraq in the 1980s.
But Iranian state industry learned to fix and modify the F-14s, thanks in part to plans and equipment acquired from American sources by Tehran’s spies. In the early 2000s, Iran still operated some 50 Tomcats — and they would soon be the only operational examples left in the world as the U.S. Navy finally replaced its own F-14s with newer jets.
Over the decades Tehran has built three major nuclear facilities that could, in theory, be used to assemble atomic weapons: reactors at Bushehr and Arak and an enrichment plant at Natanz. This infrastructure became public knowledge in 2002. No doubt the CIA took a strong interest. “A number of reconnaissance UAVs were sent to collect intelligence to prepare for a possible attack” by Western forces, Taghvaee writes.
To protect the nuke facilities, in 2004 Iran deployed a task force composed of eight F-4E fighters and eight F-14s plus a former 707 airliner and a C-130 cargo plane outfitted with sensors and radios for command and control. The task force encountered what it believed were CIA drones with “astonishing flight characteristics.”
The UAVs could jam radars and disrupt interceptors’ navigation systems. They flew “outside the atmosphere” at speeds of up to Mach 10. They could hover. Flying at night, they emitted a telltale blue light that led to their nickname: “luminous objects.”
“In several cases … F-14s faced them but were unable to operate their armament systems properly,” Taghvaee writes. One Tomcat taking off to intercept a luminous object on Jan. 26, 2012 mysteriously exploded, killing both crewmen. Taghvaee implies the alleged UAV was somehow responsible, as the F-14 in question was “one of the fittest” of the 40 or so Tomcats then in service.
Yes, but …
It should go without saying that the CIA and the Pentagon fly reconnaissance aircraft near—and even over—Iranian nuclear sites. In late 2012 and again this March, Iranian fighters tried to intercept American Predator drones outside Tehran’s airspace. In the March incident, a U.S. Air Force F-22 stealth fighter blocked the intercept with some Top Gun-style theatrics.
In 2009, the Air Force copped to the existence of a new, previously secret drone operated in conjunction with the intelligence agency. The RQ-170 Sentinel was based in southern Afghanistan within short flying distance of Iran. In December 2011, a Sentinel crashed on the Afghanistan-Iran border and was captured by Iranian troops.
Neither the Predator nor the Sentinel is particularly high-flying nor can hover or glow blue. And neither has the electrical power to scramble radars and navigation gear.
Rumors abound that the Air Force and CIA operate a stealthy new drone that has not been disclosed to the public. Even if they do, it’s unlikely that the new UAV is capable of Mach-10 hypersonic flight—the Pentagon is still struggling to reach Mach 5.
So if Iranian F-14s truly are chasing around super-fast, super-high-flying and lethal UFOs, what exactly are they?
Hell if I know.
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Let's hope none of the nutjobs writing or feeding that nonsense will have anything to do with any potential Iranian nuclear weapons.
It seems to make little sense to try to intercept something traveling at Mach 10, or indeed outside of the atmosphere.
Perhaps someone should investigate the fluoridation levels at their base. Could their precious bodily fluids have been contaminated?
On the other hand... the US has hardly had the most stable and rational individuals in the chain of command of its deterrent forces recently either.
It seems to make little sense to try to intercept something traveling at Mach 10, or indeed outside of the atmosphere.
Perhaps someone should investigate the fluoridation levels at their base. Could their precious bodily fluids have been contaminated?
On the other hand... the US has hardly had the most stable and rational individuals in the chain of command of its deterrent forces recently either.
There is only one explanation, they are alien scout fighters. The blue glow is easily explained as Cherenkov radiation, indicating that they are nuclear powered. Presumably, they are using the Iranian nuclear facilities to refuel their cores and this is clear proof or Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions. Only very highly enriched, weapons grade material would suffice for this type of craft.
I notice that these very advanced beings have dropped stealth technology altogether. We should learn something here.
I notice that these very advanced beings have dropped stealth technology altogether. We should learn something here.
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Aurora, back in the 1980s was other worldly in its capabilities.
As was the Lockheed D-21 in the late 1960s.
The problem is the laws of physics. Going fast requires lots of fuel, which has a limited energy density, that fuel is heavy, limiting the payload/range.
The only way that the report is even vaguely feasible is by using non carbon fuels. And if the USA had this technology surely they would be applying it to everything.
What is for sure is that the Americans will be investing a lot of money and technology spying on Iran. But for years they have been able to hijack webcams without the user knowing. So they know the inside of many secret facilities in Russia, China, Iran, North Korea etc. Always put tape over your webcam when you are not using it.
As was the Lockheed D-21 in the late 1960s.
The problem is the laws of physics. Going fast requires lots of fuel, which has a limited energy density, that fuel is heavy, limiting the payload/range.
The only way that the report is even vaguely feasible is by using non carbon fuels. And if the USA had this technology surely they would be applying it to everything.
What is for sure is that the Americans will be investing a lot of money and technology spying on Iran. But for years they have been able to hijack webcams without the user knowing. So they know the inside of many secret facilities in Russia, China, Iran, North Korea etc. Always put tape over your webcam when you are not using it.
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@awblain
Several countries have the technology to intercept outside the atmosphere.
Raytheon EKV, for instance.
Even India has one: Indian Exo-atmospheric Missile Intercept Test — Military Forum | Airliners.net presumably paid for by our aid.
Several countries have the technology to intercept outside the atmosphere.
Raytheon EKV, for instance.
Even India has one: Indian Exo-atmospheric Missile Intercept Test — Military Forum | Airliners.net presumably paid for by our aid.
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Fantasies invented by those in fear for their necks to explain the crashes, lousy reliability, inoperative weapons systems and inept crews on their "flagship" fleet of decrepit vintage junk?
We know they are past-masters at clumsy fantasy - look at the flotilla of ludicrous cardboard and plywood mockups they keep rolling out pretending they are global cutting-edge developments.
We know they are past-masters at clumsy fantasy - look at the flotilla of ludicrous cardboard and plywood mockups they keep rolling out pretending they are global cutting-edge developments.
"I notice that these very advanced beings have dropped stealth technology altogether. We should learn something here."
Courtney,
Does this mean the LM charm offensive failed in Alpha Centauri and they've (finally) cancelled the F-35 programme despite the assurances of galaxy beating capability and exo-earth offsets?
Courtney,
Does this mean the LM charm offensive failed in Alpha Centauri and they've (finally) cancelled the F-35 programme despite the assurances of galaxy beating capability and exo-earth offsets?
Im not in any position to pour scorn on this story. I've just told my granddaughter that a fat man in a red suit delivers presents to every child on earth in one night.
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That variety of Khat they chew in Iran must be good stuff.
Then again, UFO's that travelled at astonishing speeds and buzzed aircraft, have been reported in sizeable numbers, since WW2.
I guess we really aren't alone in the universe, after all.
Then again, UFO's that travelled at astonishing speeds and buzzed aircraft, have been reported in sizeable numbers, since WW2.
I guess we really aren't alone in the universe, after all.
Evertonian
Somewhere, in a distant Nebula, there's a a Galactic Leader standing on a flight deck before a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished", knowing that the IAF have totally lost the plot!
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I would have thought that the obvious solution to this fantasy is some counter fantasy pedalled by the past masters of the financial/military pipe dream...I think they operate out of Warton and will be able to under cut any other counter luminous object bidder in return for a little..errr...uhm...completely unwarranted blind faith.
These little things are the chariots of the 13th Mahdi. 
No wonder the Ayatollah's are sending their best fighters after them, the chariots render irrelevant their entire faith system.
No wonder the Ayatollah's are sending their best fighters after them, the chariots render irrelevant their entire faith system.
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Originally Posted by ORAC
They flew “outside the atmosphere” at speeds of up to Mach 10. They could hover. Flying at night, they emitted a telltale blue light that led to their nickname: “luminous objects.”
Apparently there's a yellow one hovering around that beams up unhappy hill walkers and fishermen.
Was a tad bit slower than Mach 10 though.
quote "inoperative weapons systems and inept crews on their "flagship" fleet of decrepit vintage junk"
F14 Tomcat....antique junk ....cough cough
I think the old tomcats are the only thing that really give the USN sleepless nights.
F14 Tomcat....antique junk ....cough cough
I think the old tomcats are the only thing that really give the USN sleepless nights.