 On 10 October 1985, F-14As were launched from "Saratoga" to perform the intercept.The 737's exact takeoff time, route and altitude were unknown; so the plan involved crisscrossing the airliners's expected flight path over the Mediterranean Sea with an E-2C identifying contacts for the F-14s to perform positive identification on.The F-14s positively identified the correct airliner after four interceptions at night.