Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Loftfabad, Iran, 16 May 1960

On 16 May 1960, at approximately 0600 hours, an incident occurred near the Loftfabad Border Post in Iran involving two unidentified aerial objects. According to an Air Intelligence Information Report filed by Colonel Laurence E. Horras, the Air Attache for USAirA, Iran, the objects were described as low-flying and cigarette-shaped. The report details the flight path of the objects, noting that both originated from the direction of Soviet Ashkhabad. One object flew over the border area before returning toward Ashkhabad, while the second object continued its flight toward Khakha. A significant feature of the sighting was the vapor trails left by the objects, which remained intact for two hours before gradually expanding into a pattern resembling dissipating contrails. The border commander, who witnessed the event, explicitly stated his conviction that the objects were not jet aircraft. Furthermore, the objects were reported to be wingless and devoid of any visible pilots. The source of this information was identified as the Central Intelligence Agency (CAS) and the Iranian Border Guard. The official evaluation of the sighting, recorded on a Project 10073 record card, concluded that the report could not be properly evaluated due to a lack of sufficient data, specifically citing the need for more information regarding the duration of the event and the absence of corroborating witnesses. The document also notes that the source reported no new construction in the area and that there had been no additional sightings of this nature to date. The report was later declassified in 1967 under AFR 205-1.