Record 085 · September 1976
Defense Intelligence Information Report on Tehran UFO Incident
Defense Intelligence Agency · United States
Ledger illustration of the record — not a scan of the original paper. — Night Ledger illustration of the file
At approximately 0030 on 19 September 1976, the IIAF command post received multiple civilian reports of strange lights or a helicopter-like object over northern Tehran. Two F-4 interceptors were scrambled from Shahrokhi Air Base. The first F-4 lost all communications and instrumentation when closing on the brilliant object at 40 nautical miles; systems returned after turning away. A second F-4 experienced similar interference. The object released a smaller bright object that pursued one aircraft before returning to the main body. The main object then climbed rapidly out of sight. Ground radar also tracked the objects. The report notes the extreme brightness, radar and visual correlation, and systems interference as significant. A DIA evaluation appended to related copies rates it highly for a valid UFO study due to multiple credible military witnesses, radar data, and electromagnetic effects.
Public file: National Archives / The Black Vault
