"Send 'em up!"

[82Rigger]

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 call sign, transponder code, type aircraft, and points of origin and destination.

This conversation was overheard on the VHF Guard (121.5 MHz) frequency:


Iranian Air Defense Radar: 'Unknown aircraft, you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself.'

Aircraft: 'This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.'

Iranian Air Defense Radar: 'You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft.'

Aircraft: 'This is a United States Marine Corps FA-18 fighter. Send 'em up, I'll wait.'

Iranian Air Defense Radar: (no response)