A mock-up of an aircraft carrier that is currently under construction at an Iranian shipyard will be used in a film about the shooting down of Iran Air flight 655 by the US Navy (USN) in 1988, according to Iranian media reports.
The film is called Airbus and will be directed by Nader Talebzadeh. It is unclear from the Iranian media reports if any members of the film's production team have gone on the record to confirm the mock-up will be used in the movie.
The construction of the mock carrier was first reported by The New York Times on 20 March. The newspaper said it had been informed by US officials who wanted to "reveal the existence of the vessel to get out ahead of the Iranians".
The New York Times reported that the vessel is approximately two-thirds the length of the USN's Nimitz class, and has 68 - USS Nimitz 's fleet number - painted near its bow (this cannot be seen in the satellite imagery that has been published to date).
It said the USN and other intelligence analysts believe the mock-up will be used as a target and/or blown up for propaganda purposes if Iran's current negotiations with the international community stall.
The mock carrier has been under construction at the shipyard southwest of Bandar Abbas since at least August 2013, when its frame could be seen in the most recent satellite imagery published by Google Earth. That shipyard is used to repair and produce naval vessels, but also makes commercial ships.
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