A woman mourns after the US Navy downs Iran Air Flight 655 during the Iran–Iraq War in July 1988. The passenger jet was carrying 290 civilians, including 66 children.
The jet was shot by two SM-2MR surface-to-air missiles fired by the USS Vincennes, a guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy.
The reason for the downing has been disputed between the governments of the two countries.
According to the United States, the Vincennes crew had incorrectly identified the passenger jet as an attacking F-14 Tomcat, a U.S.-made jet fighter that had been part of the Iranian Air Force inventory since the 1970s.
According to Iran, the cruiser negligently shot down the aircraft, which was transmitting IFF squawks in Mode III, a signal that identified it as a civilian aircraft, and not Mode II as used by Iranian military aircraft.
The jet was shot by two SM-2MR surface-to-air missiles fired by the USS Vincennes, a guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy.
The reason for the downing has been disputed between the governments of the two countries.
According to the United States, the Vincennes crew had incorrectly identified the passenger jet as an attacking F-14 Tomcat, a U.S.-made jet fighter that had been part of the Iranian Air Force inventory since the 1970s.
According to Iran, the cruiser negligently shot down the aircraft, which was transmitting IFF squawks in Mode III, a signal that identified it as a civilian aircraft, and not Mode II as used by Iranian military aircraft.
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