(1) Iran Air Flight 655 Airbus, A-300B2-202, was delivered by the French Airbus Industrie on 30 April 1982 configured with a standard civilian type Dual Collins 621-A6 IFF. The General Electric engines are identified as GE CF6-50C2. Airbus Industrie has never delivered an Airbus equipped with an IFF radar Mode II.
(2) Bandar Abbas International is the only active, joint use (military/civilian) Iranian airport in the southern Persian Gulf area.
(3) Iran Air Flight 655 was scheduled to depart Bandar Abbas at 0950 (L) or 0620Z but actually took of at 1017(L) or 0647Z.
(4) [ ]
(5) The control tower at Bandar Abbas failed to warn Iran Air Flight 655 that there was an ongoing naval engagement between U.S. Naval Forces and Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces (IRGN).
(6) Iran Air Flight 655, on direction of the control tower at Bandar Abbas International, turned on its IFF Mode III to 6760 on deck prior to launch and the mode was read correctly by the tower as 6760.
(7) Iran Air Flight 655 took off from Bandar Abbas International Airfield on runway 21 at 0647Z. It was cleared to Dubai via A-59 at FL 140 (14,00OFT) with an assigned IFF Mode III squawk of 6760. The pilot reported passing MOBET (position report) at 0654Z and vacating FL 120 (12,000 feet).
(8) Iran Air Flight 655 squawked Mode III-6760 from take off to missile intercept.
(9) IR 655 was 3.35NM west of the centerline of air route A-59 at missile intercept, time 06:54 passing 13,500 climbing to an assigned altitude of FL 140 (14,000 ft) on course of 209.5T, at 383 KTS.
(10) Air Traffic Control Center at Abu Dhabi neither gained radar video nor established communications with Iran Air Flight 655.
6.USS VINCENNES
a. Training and Readiness.
(1) USS VINCENNES deployed 25 April 1988, on short notice, to the Persian Gulf/Middle East Force.
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