Incoherent reports of Iranian claim to have forced tresspassing US jet down

[GinandTonic]

BBC

Iran 'forces down foreign plane'

A foreign aircraft has been forced to land in Iran after violating Iranian airspace, Iranian news agencies say.

The semi-official Fars said the plane was a US Falcon carrying military officials, while state TV said it was European with no Americans on board.

The Pentagon denied any of its planes had been involved in such an incident and that none had landed in Iran.

Iranian TV said those on board were freed a day later and the aircraft allowed to continue its journey.

The reports did not say when the incident took place.

The Fars report said the aircraft, en route to Afghanistan, entered Iranian airspace from Turkey, flying at low altitude to avoid radar.

It said the plane was intercepted by Iranian fighter jets and forced to land at an unspecified airport.

The reports said its occupants were released after it became clear they had entered the country unintentionally.

First reports said it was a C5 not a Falcon. Then Iran was claiming eight people were questioned, which didnt make sense with the Falcon but could with the C5. Then the US said none of their fighters were missing. Now reports from Iran suggest it may not have been either a Falcon or American.

This has been listening to this all day over the radio, odd there is not a thread on this here, unless I've just missed it.

 

[GinandTonic]

Now they claim it's Hungarian. This is great every time the news comes on they have released a new statement. These guys couldnt organise the proverbial in a brewery.

 

[BSmith1068]

Yeah – it does sound kind of weird. I thought the same thing when I saw that it was a “Falcon” (which I interpret as a single seat F-16) yet they held everybody on board and released them when they learned that they didn’t enter their airspace intentionally. Everybody usually means more than a few, which would eliminate the F-16 (unless it was a trainer and had 2 seats, but still).

Kinda reminds me of the P-3 incident in China back in 2001.

 

[GinandTonic]

Hungarian aid transport it now seems.

 

[BSmith1068]

Looks like it was a Falcon business Jet, possibly from Hugary, not a military jet as earlier reported.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/10/07/iran.jet/index.html

 

[Patroklos]

If it was American you know damn well they wouldn't have let anyone go without a good little press conference with pictures.

 

[Simple Simon]

If it was American you know damn well they wouldn't have let anyone go without a good little press conference with pictures.

Can you imagine what a let-down it was for the poor guys when they realized that they had NOT caught the Little Satans red-handed?