Remember when the US warship shot down an Iranian 747? Didn’t the Iranians use an F14 transponder code on the commercial flight to bait the US seamen? I wouldn’t put anything past the Iranians.
From what I remember, it was due to the sheer incompetence of the commander of the vessel. It’s pretty difficult to confuse an F-14 and a 747, transponder or not.
Uh, no. The official report confirms that the Iranian Airbus was in the normal commercial flight path, in the commercial air corridor, and squaking a commercial identifier.
You are correct sir.
""The data from USS Vincennes tapes, information from USS Sides and reliable intelligence information, corroborate the fact that [Iran Air Flight 655] was on a normal commercial air flight plan profile, in the assigned airway, squawking Mode III 6760, on a continuous ascent in altitude from takeoff at Bandar Abbas to shoot-down."