In addition to communicating with the local Air Traffic Control facility, all aircraft in the Persian Gulf AOR are required to give the Iranian Air Defense Radar (military) a ten minute 'heads up' if they will be transiting Iranian airspace.
This is a common procedure for commercial aircraft and involves giving them your callsign, transponder code, type aircraft, and points of origin and destination.
I just flew with a guy who overheard this conversation on the VHF Guard (emergency) frequency 121.5 MHz while flying from Europe to Dubai. It's too good not to pass along. The conversation went something like this...
Air Defense Radar: 'Unknown aircraft at (location unknown), you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself.'
Aircraft: 'This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.'
Air Defense Radar: 'You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not de part our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft!'
Aircraft: 'This is a United States Marine Corps FA-18 fighter. Send 'em up, I'll wait!'
Air Defense Radar: (no response. . . total silence)
Semper Fi
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Our Marines Are Awesome.
ReplyDeleteFIRST in , LAST out. Badest motherfugrs without a doubt!!!
ReplyDeleteSemper Fi!!!
Good joke. My dad will get a kick out of this one when I tell it to him.
ReplyDeletei dont get the whole marine coprs first in last out deal first in not last out maybe. i like all branches of the service we all have always had our fun picking on each other and making fun of each other but when we are challenged we stand together. i know that the first in iraq for operation iraqi freedom were the air forces combat controllers a highly trained group within the air force special operations command which goes behind enemy lines and secures air fields and they also can act as air traffic controllers guiding these planes in to secured areas and calling in strikes. i have seen the army special forces,seals,and marine recon,but these airman by far take the cake!
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. Military cannot enter another sovergn country's airspace (Unless we are bombing them) without permission. It's a great feel-good story but untrue.
ReplyDeleteWhat they can't do and what they do is two different things.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and I wasn't in Laos because we weren't supposed to be there.
ReplyDeleteOOOOOh. Cool. Let's talk some more about killing some Muslims. We love it. Hail to Jerusalem.
ReplyDelete