As to you being the first post Earl Hickey,

So what, did you maybe want to thump your chest too? feel better now?

Seriously, Congrats! You've accomplished one of your bucket list items now.

As to the story,

Wish the flare the US jet let go would have singed the Iranian jets wings or worse, Whats with Iran are they really looking to meet up with there 72 virgins that fast as if they got any closer they would have had there wish quite fast.

Bet the cockpit on that Iranian jet stunk for a week afterwards...

Those F-4's date back to the Shah's regime and must be getting pretty elderly - older than the pilots that's for sure! I'll bet they are not repaired using the original manufacturer's parts either. Or is that another loophole Boehner left open for his defense contractor buddies?

If an Iranian drone got within 16 miles of one of our fighter jets over the US, there wouldn't have been enough left of it to save for souvenirs!

really!!!!!!!

I wonder if we can put Sidewinders on a drone? Come on up here buddy, I got something for your azz....

@ORB 1943: The F-4 Phantom was a work horse during the Vietnam War. Although, nowhere near as maneuverable as the F-14, F-15, F16, or F18's it doesn't have long down times.

We should feel lucky that the Iranians didn't splash all three of our aircraft.

Stephen Sargent.

What's the matter? Is the America to douchebag international welfare check late this month?

LMAO. Worrying about an F-4 vs anything we currently have...isn't a serious worry.

F-4's were state-of-the-art stuff...in Vietnam. Avionics could be upgraded,yes,but an F-4 as a threat is laughable even with those upgrades if they aren't our own aircraft with USA upgrades.

Now,they use F-4s as target practice...for drones.

When its all said and done, the Iranian Revolutionary guard are no different than Iraq's same post. Just a bunch of ragheads who have made the world think their mean and we gave them their walking papers in four days. . The people of Iran are really different than their fanatic Ayatollah freaks. If there ever was a confrontation, I hope its just the military that suffer the pain. This is a true case where the Government have encapsulated and isolated the people and make the world think threat the government is loved and supported by the people when, after two major demonstrations where hundreds were murdered and their family members disappeared, the people don't support the jerks at the top, especially their embarrassment of a president. Let their outdated jets shoot down the drone. That's why they are unmanned, then we have the excuse to make their jets disappear with the blink of an eye. I hope we get some pictures to send back to their towel head fanatics.

they are using F4s? as in F4 phantoms? holy cow that aircraft is 30+ years old! i wonder how they keep them in the air.?

cannonballer

Stephen Sargent.

What's the matter? Is the America to douchebag international welfare check late this month?

He's just another dickless skippy who spends all his time whining about America. What a bitter, pathetic libtard. They're probably jealous that their cowardly leaders stop at nothing to appease American politicans, including garrosing troops in their own country. After all, the skippies wouldn't last 2 seconds if China ever took a hard line against them. No wonder they're always brownnosing the Chinese like a bunch of cowards.

Pay no attention Earl. Take a gander at the posts here. Your's is as pertinent as any.

kilroy 63

they are using F4s? as in F4 phantoms? holy cow that aircraft is 30+ years old! i wonder how they keep them in the air.?

Lest we forget, the blackbird (sr-71) although not a fighter plane, was rolled out in 1964...and to my knowledge is still the fastest plane to date...so 49 years old...I don't think there is anything that matches its abilities yet. (that we know of anyway...lol)

What would you think if Iran had a carrier parked off our shore and sent fighters and drones to within 16 miles of new york? Then dared us to shoot at them on a public media.. Sometimes you people are an embarassment.. Do you not think the world is watching?

they say that they never did open the throttles on the SR71 all the way, with the ramjet engines that the faster you went the more fuel efficient they were. truly a remarkable air craft.....as with the F4s, that is proof positive that anything will fly provided it has enough horsepower ! ha! it was a great aircraft too. it must be hell betting parts for them.......

The USA still has about 90+B-52s that were designed during the early 1950s and stopped production during 1962...

They are expected to last another 25+years according to the USAF...

The F-4 was designed during the mid 1950s and stopped production during 1981. As of 2008, 631 Phantoms remained in active service worldwide and are still seeing active service...

kilroy 63,

SR-71s used turbojets with a viarable nose cone. A unique hybrid, the engine is a turbojet inside a ramjet. True ramjets produce ZERO thrust at ZERO inlet speeds. The J58 was most efficient around Mach 3.2 (approximately 2436 mph)...

Operation Skyburner: On 22 December 1961, a modified Phantom with water injection set an absolute world record speed of 1,606.342 mph (2,585.086 km/h).

The maximum speed was limited by the specific maximum temperature for the compressor inlet (due to softening/melting blades) of 800 °F (427 °C). 1990s studies of inlets of this type indicated that newer technology could allow for inlet speeds with a lower limit of Mach 6...

When I was in Vietnam in the mid 1960s, we used to call F-4s "Converters". You put JP-5 in them and they converted the fuel to Noise. When they were getting ready to land, they made the weirdest sounds. You didn't even have to look up, "yep, that's an F-4" squeal, warble warble warble...

Getting within 16 miles is pretty close. Even for an F-4 that is less than 2 minutes flying time at cruising speed and well under a minute (about 40 seconds) with afterburners lit. I am surprised the US pilots let them get that close. It was likely a case where the Iranians and the US aircraft were both very close to the border between international airspace and Iranian airspace. While an F-4 is no match for a modern fighter in an air-to-air engagement that still does not mean that they could not get off a lucky shot with an air-to-air missile. Letting them get within range of those missiles, particularly heat seekers is a little dangerous.

Our guy pops a flare and the Iranians @!$%# their flight suits.

Wow, these exchanges of patriotism and American SUPERIORITY have stirred a hornets nest, as far as the cannonballers assumption on me waiting for my US welfare cheque, the US can't look after it's own obese mob, let alone it's far flung neighbours, just waiting for the poor people in Afghanistan to survive after you leave another disastrous blunder, what did you achieve there??? Sweet F A , apart from sending your country broke, get those F-35's off the ground, that's after you repair the holes in your capitol DC building, another situation with your tail between your legs, long live America, and ALL that goes down with her, in god you trust.

Stephen....

Go whine somewhere else.....we all know you just wish you could be one of us.

Oldtimer & J.E. Wilson...

Go back and read the article again, we didn't get within 16 mile sof Iran, their plane got within 16 miles of ours. No need to exaggerate something that didn't happen in the first place.

The F-4 was a great aircraft and pretty durable. It doesn't quite explain, but likely the F-4 was flying in parallel in Iranian airspace closing from behind. Us on one side of the line and them on the other. They may not even have known the fighters were flying escort for the drone. But I think they probably got the message seeing the flare. Another report say they got a verbal warning from the escorts but no flare. They may not even have working radar in the old bird. Probably got sent up after seeing the drone on ground based radar.

Although they might fire on a drone and try to claim it was in their airspace, I doubt they are stupid enough to take on US carrier jets. The MQ-1 Predator doesn't fly very fast so the escorts probably had to be a to be at a stand-off distance, as flying that slowly for a fighter jet is right about stall speed. The article doesn't say what the escort aircraft were but seems to me you'd almost have to escort from behind and above, able to throttle up and close quickly if needed. If that's the case, the F-4 in pursuit of the drone was probably a sitting duck between the US jets and the drone. They'd be an idiot to do anything but run from that position. Another article says we are using either carrier based F-18s or F-22s stationed in the UAE for the escorts. Either way, the old F-4 was introuble.

Interesting that they launched an F-4. Back in November two Su-25s fired 30mm cannons at a Predator and couldn't hit it. The F-4Es they had, did come with 20mm cannons, but I wonder if they were thinking missile strike. The F-4 is considerably faster, better fighter than the Su-25s which are mainly ground attack jets.

Iran has an adequate air force. They absolutely pose a threat to air forces flying in their vicinity. Yes, the F4 is an older aircraft, but that doesn't make it "not a threat". Iran and the F4 has the capability of downing American fighters and drones. The F4 is capable, as is Iran, of launching sidewinders and sparrow missiles, which both have an operational range of up to 20 miles. Yes, it would have been suicide to fire, but it posed a serious risk to the lives of those pilots. Never underestimate the power of your adversary. That's a problem we American's seem to often have, our arrogance.

How is this story consequential whatsoever...

It is very possible for an Iranian jet to still be within it's own territorial limit while also being 16 miles away from a surveillance drone over international waters.

Obama cookies?!.. Good thing the sequester didn't do away with the cookie budget, that would've been irrational.

Just barely "possible"! The US would not have had to fire a warning flare if the Iranian jet was within its own airspace and most certainly the Iranian jet would not have broken off afterward if it was in its own airspace. What do you work for the Ayatolah or something with a ridiculous supposition like that?

According to the story the closest this jet ever came to the drone was 16 miles. This is far from some "seeing the whites of their eyes" moment as some seem to think.

Typically territorial waters extend 12 miles off the coast. There are many areas, the Straight of Hormuz for example, that foreshorten these normal extensions into very tight regions of territorial waters right up against international waters (shipping lanes) that would make it very easy for this kind of situation to occur.

Less of an Ayatollah supposition and more of a geographic observation.

John Smith 1209, actually President Obama is going to take one of your cookies and give it to Earl since you did not earn your cookies....

since you did not earn your cookies....

or meds?

HAH! Iran knows better than to Screw with US!

"In November, two Iranian jets fired 30-millimeter cannons at an unarmed U.S. military Predator drone conducting surveillance in the Arabian Gulf. The jets “fired to take it down,” Little said at the time. The drone was not struck and returned to base safely. Following the incident, the U.S. said its military would continue surveillance flights over international waters of the Arabian Gulf."

However, more spitting distances are how close the Arabian Gulf is to Iran and how far it is from the US. Now, if Iran had a drone "conducting surveillance" near the Atlantic Ocean, the US would not hesitate in taking it down, unlike the merciful scaring-yet-not-harmful action taken by Iran. Put your heads together. Take a whiff of fresh air. Stop being an as$h01e to those who refuse to bow down to society--as all of you have.

By the way, it used to be called the Persian Gulf, but Arabian Gulf caught hold just a few decades ago. Iran is still in many discourses referred to as Persia.

Yeah, that's why they came so close to our planes, huh? They were too afraid to come close-- in neutral waters, no less, huh?

Keep dreamin'...

Jim,

Did you even read the article? If so how would an an-armed drone shoot down anything?

To quote the article;

"An unmanned, unarmed U.S. surveillance drone was approached by an Iranian F-4 fighter jet on Tuesday, the Pentagon disclosed Thursday. The Iranian jet got as close as 16 miles."

Isn't "unmanned drone" a redundancy?

"The drone, an MQ-1, was escorted by two U.S. military aircraft, Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement." Peeps - please read the article - the drone was escorted...

@ Jim 352656

you must have Alzheimer,because the story says it's an unarmed drone and

unmanned.

blow him away with what? maybe it should fart at him .

I think what they ment by unmanned, is that it was a program route and go job, not a guy sitting behind a computer with a flightstick. Usually servaliance unarmed drones don't have a guy contorling it from anywhere just a computer, making evasive actions harder, and why likely it had an armed escort.

Or it could just be a bad editor.

Who's not reading what mike?

The drone, an MQ-1, was escorted by two U.S. military aircraft, Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement. “One of the U.S. aircraft discharged a flare as a warning to the Iranian plane, which then broke off pursuit,” the statement said.

If you did not work for the ayatollahs you would have agreed that your theocratic dictators can get their ........ shot one day.

Yeah, we all work for the Ayatollahs. Share Earl's meds. In fact, take them instead of Earl. He does not sound demented.

You do.

Of course it's to anger the American people. Remember this?

I look forward to a day that your Iranian mullahs do an over-the-top mistake and the US and its allies get the filthy, pedophile, rapist, murderous theocratic mullahs out of Iran and get some sanity and stability back to that country. Iranian people wanted to get rid of these pests back in 2009 and the world ignored them. The people will succeed some day. they will succeed.

Slow news day? You read it a committed on it.

Are you serious? Who installed the Shah against the will of the Iranian people? Duh..... Bet you don't know.

Don't forget Colin Powell's WMD speech. All of it turned out to be LIES

That's crazy talk, they would never try to manipulate the media! But it does take away from those big profit reports.

@ Craig Bell

Where have ya been little buddy? When we were friends with the Shah, we sent them F-4's

We sold them a bunch a long time ago, along with F14 Tomcats. I'm surprised any are still flying.

Ahh Craig the F4 is a very very old out dated , out engineered, out gunned, out manned and any other out anyone can throw out there. If any Iranian pilot was to be so stupid as to Fire on a US Military Drone with armed American Fighters (more than likely F-18's) flying in pairs then that Iranian pilot wants to go to meet his 72 virgins. There is just no way in hell an F4 could take out any of our Jets in that area. And as for the Media trying to rev up the US about Iran, I think they are doing a real good job about that all on their own. If any of you silly silly people out there that believe in Unicorns and Leprechauns trust or believe anything that comes out of that countries political hacks or their media than you are just plain ill informed and I have a beautiful beachfront home in New Mexico I can sell to you.

If this is the F4 of the Vietnam era days, I'm surprised they can still keep them airborne. Even if they got them at the end of their production run (1981), that would make them 30 years old. Parts must be getting scarce.

What are you 10 years old? Go back to school and study some history, google IRAN!

jammin just because the f-4 is old doesnt mean its a slouch. get a good pilot behind the stick and a f-18 can still be shot down by one.

60's

50s. It first flew in 1958!

F-4's still flying is no big stretch. There are still DC-3's flying in the world, after all. Pretty sure it would not have been a huge problem for them to stock up on spares through the black market long ago.

Yea, you can still find a goony bird or two!

Our B-52's are 1950s technology. Does that make them obsolete?

Actually B-52's are obsolete except for very defined roles.

Don't Tread on Me-2001731 - you are an ignoranus! (ignoranus = stupid and an azzhole to boot)

No, "Don't Tread on Me" isn't an ignoranus. The poster is, by historical precedent, actually committing treason. By badmouthing the president in time of war, the poster is committing the treasonous crime of not showing support to the commander in chief.

That was the exact same reasoning used by the congresscritter that got up on the floor of the House of Representatives, to demand that Natalie Mains not be allowed back into the country, and that her citizenship should be revoked, because she said at a concert in England, that she was "embarrassed to be from the same state as the president" That president was Dubya Shrub, the puppet of Karl Rove, Dick "shoot first" Cheney, and Halliburton.

I don't see anyone standing up to demand that same treatment of this treasonous slimeball.

It is a mystery how people like that can claim to love America, when they so clearly hate Americans.

orb I'm with you!

don't treadon on me was born on 7/31/2001

Don't tread you are an Idiot...thankyou..:-)

You either support the US Constitution or you do not...

The use of armed drones by the CIA, especially with their current policy, VIOLATES numerous US LAWS, International Treaties and the Geneva Conventions...

Numerous international travelers and a drunk Email user are now banned from entering the USA. This happened during Obama's rein... see http:// newsdeskinternational.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/uk-teen-banned-from-us-for-life-after-sending-obama-obscene-email/

During POTUS George Bush's time in office - numerious DEMOCRAT supporters were publicly calling for Bush's DEATH... see .zombietime.com/zomblog/?p=621

Yes we did sell them to them years ago.

We gifted/sold them to the Shah, Our Imperialist Implant there.

Approximately 225 F-4Ds, RF-4Es and F-4Es were delivered to Iran, mostly during the 1960s and 70s.^[23]

The Nirouye Havai Shahanshahiye Iran (Imperial Iranian Air Force) enjoyed more attention from Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi than any other military branch. By 1967 the air force had F-4Ds on order, at that time the most advanced Phantom model available. The original order was for 16 aircraft; the first of which arrived on 8 September 1968,^[24] with another 16 added later, and were employed in several unsuccessful attempts to intercept Soviet MiG-25Rs. These aircraft were also used for ground attack, and during one such mission, rebels in Oman shot one down.^[24]

In 1970, the first reconnaissance RF-4Es were delivered. Iran, with few fiscal restraints, followed that up with an order for 177 F-4Es. The first of these arrived in March 1971. During a border clash in 1976, these F-4s, armed with AGM-65 Maverick missiles defeated an Iraqi armored ground formation. The F-4Es changed the balance of power in the region; they were not only effective on the battlefield, but available in large numbers as well.^[24

War Pig$. It's just how we roll.

viewer i have seen f-4s lock onto and shoot f-16s down quite a bit when i was in the Air Force. the f-4 is no slouch, it might be a tad slower and not turn as well, but it can take a hit better then the 16.

That's making the assumption of course that the F4s are in top condition and the Iranian pilots are as well trained as the US pilots. I'm guessing both are doubtful.

An F4 - the glide slope of an anvil. I wonder how they keep them flying. They must be cannibalizing others in their fleet for spare parts.

You could take two top gun pilots and put one in an F4 and the other in an F18. I don't think the guy in the F4 would fair well against the F18.

Saw the Blue Angels years ago at El Toro flying F4s. Most Impressive.

They are sneaky and can look sideways - they might also be used to spot Iranian Republican Guards in their rubber-boat navy. The next drone up will be used to perforate the thing if the rag-tops misbehave.

we really do have some nice jet fighters with good pilots, Heck if your going to send in a droon, send it in. Or maybe they were using it as bait, I've seen that, a small chopper flying low with 2 gunship up high and just waiting for a shot to be fired. this hole story sounds weird.

Could have been checking the waters for sharks so no swimmers get hurt....jeeez people don't get bent out of shape...

The USA has been fighting; flip-flop wearing, hose back riding warriors for 60+years...

North Korea - draw/still fighting

Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia - US LOST

Central America - US LOST the drug Lords WON

Bosnia - the US supported Muslims are still killing other Muslims & Christians

Iraq - the US supported Muslims are still killing other Muslims, Kurds & Christians

Afghanistan - US is LOSING to the radical Muslims they originally supported/trained

Libya - The US supported radical Muslims are still killing other Muslims

Just like the USSR - The USA will be brought to their fiscal knees...

The last time the US was involved with Iran. The Mullahs - WON and the US carried their dead back to the USA...

Want to discuss the CIA supported 'Freedom Fighters' in Tibet & Cuba??? Yea the USA LOST there also...

moron!!!!!

I got one for you that you might like.

At Red Flag one of our A-7DII Corsairs shot down an F-4 (simulated).

The pilot used the speed board (very big speed brake) and the F-4 overshot him.

He took him out with an AIM-9.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

yea, lets go get those evil brown people.

I talked to an F=15 eagle pilot who was in war games with the Raptors. He said it was the only plane that would scare the crap out of him in a real war, this was at an air show. He cut in the after burners on the take off roll. He rotated and shot up verticaly to 50,000 feet in about 4-5 seconds with the F-15! He was a dot. He said he could detect any plane in a very wide radius around his, except for the Raptor. He said he never saw it or knew it was inbound on any of the attacks by it. He alway's died in the games.

did you not even hear about the hostage taking of the us embassy staff by these people. did you not hear of the murders committed by these people during and immediately after the overthrow of the government. Did you not hear of the murder and imprisonment of students during and after the protests a few years ago.

Do you not know of thier oppression of women.

Do you not know of the imprisonment and execution of christians By the government of iran?

Do you not know the president of iran wants to wipe isreal off the face of the earth?

These people are evil. Joking about it shows a lack of respect for thier victims

Rock, you flunked history uh? We over through the Iranian government in 1953 and installed the Shah who was paid off by the US government. In 1979 they through him out of the country and took hostages so the US would not attack them. They did not harm those hostages even though they could have. Iran does not harm Christians and has a large Jewish community that are free to worship in their synagogues. Israel offered them $25,000.00 apiece to move to Israel but they refused. Iran did not say they wanted to wipe Israel off the map, that is the biggest lie around. He said zionism would not exist and would be washed into the ocean. He never used the word Israel or map. Iran has not attacked another country in over 300 years, but we backed Iraq to attack Iran. We shot down an Iranian airliner and didn't even apologise or pay restitution. WHO'S THE BAD GUY ROCK?

53 in Texas, we have not won a war since 1950. Alot of good all this high tech weaponry does for us uh?

Parker, an attack on a foreign embassy is considered an act of war and is also an attack on that country. Also, the U.S. paid $131.8 million in restitution for shooting down the airliner.

What did the USA do after the bombings of; the USS Cole (Oct 2000), two - US Embassies (Aug 1998) & Khobal Towers (Jun 1996) w/US troops inside. The bombing of the WTC (Feb 1993) in the USA???

Oh yea - NOTHING except firing a few cruise missiles into the desert and later bombing Baghdad for 4+days during Dec 1998, which had NOTHING to do with the prior incidents. And it did embolden OBL, who did have connections to the prior incidents, to plan & conduct 9-11...

The drone was probably undergoing testing, and the escorts were to watch it's performance.

Following last year’s close encounter Nov 2012, the Pentagon has decided to escort the drones involved in intelligence gathering missions with fighter jets (either F-18 Hornets with the CVW 9 embarked on the USS John C. Stennis whose Carrier Strike Group is currently in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility or F-22 Raptors like those deployed to the UAE).

Although dispatching fighter jets to escort drones makes them less vulnerable, it makes also the UAV more visible. Unless the fighter jets providing HVAAE (High Value Air Asset Escort) are F-22 stealth fighters...

Ybor City, read your history. The F4's were given to the shah of Iran before he left and the current regime took over. That was prior to Khomeni coming back.

The Vietnam War started over a lie and this is probably full of lies too stating that Iran was harrassing the drone. Wanna bet some of Sadam's Weapons of Mass Destruction on it?

Of course not. You want to suck up what you read in the mass media and never question it or do any thinking for yourself.

Ybor, most people don't know, but our closest ally Israel was caught selling f-4 engines to Iran even though we had a embargo on them. Great friends uh? Oh and the US taxpayers paid for those engines and they were given for free to Israel. SUCH A DEAL. Friends my ^%$#$&*(

parkerjoe, playing both sides of the fence? You love the theocratic dictators of Iran, so you must like Israel for selling them F-4 engines. Youy have such inside information nobody knows about. They talk about it in the mosque?

I know it was over international waters but I think America was testing to see if they could get a drone into Iran again. For all we know, that drone was in Iran and that was why an Iranian Jet came near it and why it needed an escort. Or they were testing to see how close they could get or just doing flight practice. We have spied on Iran with drones but now they can see them and they get brought down somehow. All drones do these days near Iran and over the waters is find stranded fishermen, I bet that is all they will do. All this testing near Iran must be helping Iran build and make better radar and other tech. They must be developing new strategy to fight American aircraft. We are sharing to much with Iran and it must be costing us tons of money. If they learn how to beat our weapons then they are useless. I bet nothing is stealth to Iran now or we would be sending it over Iran to spy. I guess it is up to satellites to spy these days.

The MQ-1 has almost ZERO heat signature @ those distances...

A small prop engine is nothing like a jet aircraft...

Even @ 16+miles the background ambient heat will mask its signature and the composite drone will also have almost ZERO radar return...

That is why during the Nov encounter, the two Sukhoi Su-25 attack planes relied on 20mm cannon...