Now You See

NOWYOUSEEIT,NOWYOUDON'TI\'J. CaptatnHenryS.ShielrIs,HQUSAfE/IHOMI' ;fJIISometimeinhiscareer ,eachpilotcanexpecttoencounter strange,unusual.happeningswhichwillneverbeadequatelyor. entirelyexplainedbylogicorsubsequentinvestigation.Thefollow- ingarticlerecountsjustsuchanepisode_asreportedbytwoF-4 PhantomcrewsoftheImperialIranianAirForceduringLate1976. Noadditionalinformationorexplanationofthestrangeeventshas' beenfortbc'orrring;thestorywillbefiledawayandprobablyfor-" gotten,butitmakesinteresting,andpossiblydisturbing,reading. Until0030onaclearautumnmorning,ithadbeenan ..'enth:ely'routi~enightwatchfortheQ'mperialIr~ianAirForce's. ",'eo~mandpo!.i)~theTehran'area.Inquicksuccession,fourcalls arrivedfromoneofthe.ci~y'ssuburbsreportiil.gaseriesofstrange airborneobjects.Th~se.unidentifiedFlyingObjects.(UFOs)we:z:-e describedas'bird-like',ora'sbrightly-lithelicopters(although none.wereairbornea~thetime).Unabletoconvincethecallers' t'hat~heywereonly~eeingstars,aseniorofficerwentoutsideto see'forhimself.~:'Obser-ving:an~bject.tothenorthlikeastar,only .largerand~r'i~hte~;'heimmedi~teiysc~a'mbledanIIAFF-4to ,investigate.' objectnolongerregardedtheaircraftasathreat. DEeusS :r!IL-$-ui-k .."Appz-cachingthecity,'theF-:-4pilotrep~rtedthatt~e brilliantobjec:twaseasilyvisIble70milesaway.Whenapproxi- ma~elyZ~NMdistant,'theintercept~rlostallinstru~enta:tionand UHF/Intercomcomm ications.Uponbreakingofftheintercept andturningtowardshishornebase,allsy~temsretur~edtonormal. asifthestrange '.~' AsecondF-4was.:rambledtenminutesafterH.-first.-..... '. 1'h~b~te~rep ted~radar-lockontheUF_?.at27~M/12~'~10Ck highposihon,and~rat~9!closureof150knots.Up~>nreachmgthe 25NMpoint,the:'object.began'rapidlymoving'awayto~aintaina constantseparationdistancewhilestill.visibleo~theradarscope. Whilethesiz~o~thera.dar.r~tu;nwa's~o~'p~r':~;~.;t~ato!a.KC- 135,its~te~sebriliian~{inadeesti~at.ionofactuaisizeimpossible. laypa~ternandalternatingblue,green,red',~ndorange. sequencewas.sofastthet:-~.~l.l.colorscou~qbeaeenatonce AstheF-4continuedpursuit'southofTehz-an,asecond bright1y-1i~object(about.one-hal!to.on~-thirdthesiieofthemoon). .detachedfromtheoriginalUFOandheadedstraightfortheF-4.ata hrgh}it~'~fspeed.. :Th~:bii~t~:~ttempt~dt6.(i~ean'AIM:-9'missil~ai..;~.. .:.: the'.newobjectbut:w.a.s.pr~v.e.n~ed.by.a.:sudde.npowerlossinhis.. ;.:"._... -weapcnscontrolpanel.,UW~ndinte;n~( rri~ications'were'; simultaneouslylos ...'J;'h~. i p ,;p.t.iyU1iti e~;'~\urnandneg~tive-' 'Gdi :to cape~b :bj 'feil: h~dibet.; t.3~4NM. diatance, :.'Cont ing etu~n,the.pilotobservedthesecondobject.. . turn'~side..of'~irt:1..and,t?e~away,.su~.sequentlyr~turning.tothe'pri-.>:;. . '...:Thetwo.UFOs..had:hardly~ejoin~dwhena s econdobject,"..<':'....' .. H~ving:r~gain~.d p ..s:a~d'~om~Tl~iC: :i s'~y'st s,'th~airc~ew.. .watchedthe.th~rd~1:>je~.a.n~icipatinga.largeexplosionwhenitstru'ck_ theground.Howey~r"':~t..1andedgent1yandcastabrightlightovera . two-threeki1ometer;a.rea"~.:~Tpepilotflewaslowovertheareaas. possible.,.fixingthe.?bject'sexactlo.~ation. Uponreturntohomebase, bothcrewmenhaddifficultyin .../aJjustingtheirnig~.v.isiondevicesforlanding.Thelandingwas .furthercomplicate'a,byexces siveinterference'onUHFandafurther ....'completeLossofall.communicationswhenpassingthroughalSO degree~gneticaringfromthehornebase.Theinertialnaviga-' ..tionsystem'si~ultaneo'u~lyfluctuatedfroiD.30to50degree~.A'~i~U. airlinerapproachingthea.reaalsoexperi~ncedasimilarcommunica- .tionsfailure,butrepo;-tednounusualsightings. .::.::.:::.J!I~b~.~oll.ow-iftgda:y,:theF-4'cz:e asflownby'helic~pt~r' ::..tothei a~ion~herethey~-liev~dth~"objecthadlanded.This' . :;" :turned'outJo'be.:a.4z:y-.1ake..bed,J~ut.nothinguauaualwasnoticed.:-, -Asthe'helicopterci.;"cled.of!tothe'west,however'-avez:ynoticeable.'::~"" .:Deepersigna.J. : c~ived,and~ventual~y.tra.cedtoanea.~byhouse.;..'..' .".'. Th~yimmedi~t~l'~:.i~' t;d' :~'~:ked'~h~':irih~bit ts~r." h~gst~ang'~'.'. "there'had'b~' '~o :" i s'and.a~e;kb~ightlight,'l'ik~1ightning~".......\(... ."::.'Thehelicopterretu.rned.tobase.and.a;,rangementswerema.det("">.::~,,;."':.';.."'::".~:::>~.: co~du~t"va.'r'ious'tests:~;suchasradiati~nche.cks,'inthevidnity'of/,.":" '_Whileo~alongfinalapproach,.theF -.4crewnoteda.further UFO...Thiswa.sdescribedasacylinder-shapedobject(aboutthe .' ."....:siz~0,a'T ..;33trainer')withbrightsteadylightsoneachendanda . .::..:reportedno~ther'~iz:.tra.!fi~.in:thea~ea.:althoUghtheysubsequ~ntlY.'. --.::.'.:obtaineda,)1 1s: h g~!the' j~'~' n:specifi~ail'~'dir'ected.' ':..thehouse."UnfortUnately,.theresultsofsuchtestshavenotbeen., reported..(