If you missed Mystery Quest Area 51 on History today (like me!) then its ok its airing again over the coming days (see here for times).
Mufon Nevada State Director, Mark Easter, will head the expedition. The goal of this program is to uncover information on a recently declassified Black Project called "Oxecart."
Newly declassified documents are providing the opportunity for a deeper investigation into whether governments around the world are engaged in a cover-up of UFO research. MysteryQuest's expedition and science teams travel to locations in the Nevada desert and in Utah to investigate. Using state of the art technology they investigate these covert US government sites looking for clues about what the government may know. And they experience just how much the government wants to keep its secrets when military helicopters and a fighter jet shadow the team on their trek near the base.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
800 UFO sightings released by the Ministry of Defence to the UK National Archives
A former chief of defence staff warned Margaret Thatcher's government in 1985 that its "perfunctory" dismissal of UFO sightings near an RAF base shared with the US Air Force in Suffolk could turn into a political "banana-skin" because it was unexplained.
In a letter to Michael Heseltine, Mrs Thatcher's defence secretary at the time, the late Lord Hill-Norton said the sightings of unidentified flying objects in Rendelsham Forest by USAF personnel in December 1980 had "puzzling and disquieting" features that have never been satisfactorily explained.
The letter, written on 1 May 1985 is among official government documents on UFOs released today by the Ministry of Defence to the National Archives. Fourteen files containing more than 4,000 pages spanning 15 years between 1981 and 1996 have been placed online.
Lord Hill-Norton's letter covers perhaps the best-known British UFO incident of the period when the USAF twice reported mysterious lights and a metallic flying object in the woods at the perimeter of the base. They said a triangular-shaped object had left radiation traces and three visible markings in the ground.
Colonel Charles Halt, the USAF deputy base commander, who saw the lights himself, wrote a short report on 13 January 1981, but the Ministry of Defence denied all knowledge of the events until the colonel's memorandum was released in June 1983 under the US Freedom of Information Act. The MoD's public response was that the incident had no defence interest.
"My personal view, having considered the fragmentary but compelling evidence brought to public knowledge by the media, is that the case cannot be disposed of in these rather perfunctory terms," Lord Hill-Norton wrote. "If the report made by the USAF authorities in January 1981 is accurate, there is evidence that British airspace and territory are vulnerable to unwarranted intrusion to a disturbing degree.
"If, on the other hand, the report of the deputy base commander must be dismissed ... then we have evidence – no less disturbing, I suggest – that a sizeable number of USAF personnel at an important base in British territory are capable of serious misperception, the consequences of which might be grave in military terms."
The MoD reply repeateded that if there were sightings of unidentified flying objects they did not have any defence significance. A "final position statement" was prepared in 1985 by officials for the defence minister, Lord David Trefgarne. "It is highly unlikely that any violation of UK airspace would be heralded by such a display of lights," the file continues. "I think it equally unlikely that any reconnaissance or spying activity would be announced in this way.".
Other MoD documents released relate a UFO incident in Belgium in 1989 and 1990 when Belgian Air Force F-16 fighters were scrambled to intercept strange, brightly-lit, triangular-shaped flying objects reported by police and others. A statement sent to the MoD in November 1993 by General Wilfried de Brouwer, chief of operations in the Belgian Air Staff, confirmed that the fighters had locked-on to something with their radar but were unable to explain what it was.
The MoD said there had been no threat to the UK and that it has never detected a "structured craft flying in UK airspace that has remained unidentified".
The files contain UFO reports of 800 sightings between January 1993 and August 1996, but in 1996 alone 609 incidents were logged, three times more than all the previous three years together.
In a letter to Michael Heseltine, Mrs Thatcher's defence secretary at the time, the late Lord Hill-Norton said the sightings of unidentified flying objects in Rendelsham Forest by USAF personnel in December 1980 had "puzzling and disquieting" features that have never been satisfactorily explained.
The letter, written on 1 May 1985 is among official government documents on UFOs released today by the Ministry of Defence to the National Archives. Fourteen files containing more than 4,000 pages spanning 15 years between 1981 and 1996 have been placed online.
Lord Hill-Norton's letter covers perhaps the best-known British UFO incident of the period when the USAF twice reported mysterious lights and a metallic flying object in the woods at the perimeter of the base. They said a triangular-shaped object had left radiation traces and three visible markings in the ground.
Colonel Charles Halt, the USAF deputy base commander, who saw the lights himself, wrote a short report on 13 January 1981, but the Ministry of Defence denied all knowledge of the events until the colonel's memorandum was released in June 1983 under the US Freedom of Information Act. The MoD's public response was that the incident had no defence interest.
"My personal view, having considered the fragmentary but compelling evidence brought to public knowledge by the media, is that the case cannot be disposed of in these rather perfunctory terms," Lord Hill-Norton wrote. "If the report made by the USAF authorities in January 1981 is accurate, there is evidence that British airspace and territory are vulnerable to unwarranted intrusion to a disturbing degree.
"If, on the other hand, the report of the deputy base commander must be dismissed ... then we have evidence – no less disturbing, I suggest – that a sizeable number of USAF personnel at an important base in British territory are capable of serious misperception, the consequences of which might be grave in military terms."
The MoD reply repeateded that if there were sightings of unidentified flying objects they did not have any defence significance. A "final position statement" was prepared in 1985 by officials for the defence minister, Lord David Trefgarne. "It is highly unlikely that any violation of UK airspace would be heralded by such a display of lights," the file continues. "I think it equally unlikely that any reconnaissance or spying activity would be announced in this way.".
Other MoD documents released relate a UFO incident in Belgium in 1989 and 1990 when Belgian Air Force F-16 fighters were scrambled to intercept strange, brightly-lit, triangular-shaped flying objects reported by police and others. A statement sent to the MoD in November 1993 by General Wilfried de Brouwer, chief of operations in the Belgian Air Staff, confirmed that the fighters had locked-on to something with their radar but were unable to explain what it was.
The MoD said there had been no threat to the UK and that it has never detected a "structured craft flying in UK airspace that has remained unidentified".
The files contain UFO reports of 800 sightings between January 1993 and August 1996, but in 1996 alone 609 incidents were logged, three times more than all the previous three years together.
Russian Navy has released new data on UFOs
The former chief commander of the Soviet Navy has revealed information on UFOs that until recently had been secret. The Soviet Navy had so many encounters with mysterious objects raising from or diving into the ocean that a special analytic group was set to make weekly reports to the naval commander-in-chief. The Russian website Free Press (svpressa.ru) interviewed that officer on July 16.
Vladimir N. Chernavin, 81, was the chief commander of the Soviet Navy and deputy minister of defense of the USSR from 1985 to 1992. He is the recipient of several high Soviet and Russian state honors. The material he presented is peppered with the names of other distinguished Soviet naval officers. Some of those officers have spoken before about their knowledge of UFOs, but others are being publicly associated with the phenomenon for the first time.
Among the information Chernavin revealed are these statistics provided by former naval captain of the first rank Vladimir Azhazha: “Fifty percent of meetings with UFOs are connected with the ocean, and 15 percent with lakes.” Forty-four percent of cases have been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, 16 percent in the Pacific, 10 percent in the Mediterranean Sea.
Azhazha also recounted an incident in the Pacific Ocean, when a Russian submarine was pursued by six unidentified objects, which emerged from the water and took flight after the submarine surfaced to evade them.
Azhazha is the author of dozens of books and articles on UFOs. He was the captain of the experimental submarine Severyanka in the 1960s and has recounted his experiences with unidentified objects under water before.
Former rear admiral and nuclear submarine commander Yury Beketov is quoted describing events that occurred in the Bermuda Triangle. “We repeatedly observed that the instruments detected the movements of material objects at unimaginable speed, around 230 knots (400 km. per hour [250 m.p.h.]). It’s hard to reach that speed on the surface – only in the air [is it readily possible]… The beings that created those material objects significantly exceed us in development.”
Naval intelligence expert and captain for the first rank Igor Barklay noted that the unidentified objects were most often spotted in deep water near where military forces are concentrated – off the Bahamas, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the east coast of the United States.
Unexplained activity in Lake Baikal is also recorded. In 1982, divers on a training exercise encountered swimmers in silver outfits with no visible breathing apparatus. They were at a depth of 50 meters (164 feet). Three people died trying to pursue the mysterious swimmers.
The link between UFOs and the ocean has been noted before, Capt. Vladimir Prikhodko commented on the information. He noted that American naval forces have also had experiences with rapidly-moving objects underwater and above it in the Caribbean Sea and elsewhere.
Vladimir N. Chernavin, 81, was the chief commander of the Soviet Navy and deputy minister of defense of the USSR from 1985 to 1992. He is the recipient of several high Soviet and Russian state honors. The material he presented is peppered with the names of other distinguished Soviet naval officers. Some of those officers have spoken before about their knowledge of UFOs, but others are being publicly associated with the phenomenon for the first time.
Among the information Chernavin revealed are these statistics provided by former naval captain of the first rank Vladimir Azhazha: “Fifty percent of meetings with UFOs are connected with the ocean, and 15 percent with lakes.” Forty-four percent of cases have been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, 16 percent in the Pacific, 10 percent in the Mediterranean Sea.
Azhazha also recounted an incident in the Pacific Ocean, when a Russian submarine was pursued by six unidentified objects, which emerged from the water and took flight after the submarine surfaced to evade them.
Azhazha is the author of dozens of books and articles on UFOs. He was the captain of the experimental submarine Severyanka in the 1960s and has recounted his experiences with unidentified objects under water before.
Former rear admiral and nuclear submarine commander Yury Beketov is quoted describing events that occurred in the Bermuda Triangle. “We repeatedly observed that the instruments detected the movements of material objects at unimaginable speed, around 230 knots (400 km. per hour [250 m.p.h.]). It’s hard to reach that speed on the surface – only in the air [is it readily possible]… The beings that created those material objects significantly exceed us in development.”
Naval intelligence expert and captain for the first rank Igor Barklay noted that the unidentified objects were most often spotted in deep water near where military forces are concentrated – off the Bahamas, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and the east coast of the United States.
Unexplained activity in Lake Baikal is also recorded. In 1982, divers on a training exercise encountered swimmers in silver outfits with no visible breathing apparatus. They were at a depth of 50 meters (164 feet). Three people died trying to pursue the mysterious swimmers.
The link between UFOs and the ocean has been noted before, Capt. Vladimir Prikhodko commented on the information. He noted that American naval forces have also had experiences with rapidly-moving objects underwater and above it in the Caribbean Sea and elsewhere.
UFOs: record number of sightings forecast for 2009
A record number of UFOs are expected to be spotted this year in Britain after hundreds of sightings were reported in the first six months of 2009.
Strange floating orbs and unexplained hovering objects have all been recorded and reported to the Ministry of Defence in the last six months.
A total of 231 sightings of unidentified flying objects have been passed on to the MoD so far this year, according to The Sun.
This compares to 285 in 2008, 135 in 2007 and 97 in 2006.
The number of sightings is thought to have increased because many more people now carry digital cameras and are able to photograph strange objects.
Nick Pope, who used to run the Government's UFO project and is considered a leading authority on UFOs, told The Sun: "We are now on track for a record year.
"I thought the number of UFOs reported last year was high, but we now know they are being reported in increasing numbers."
Last year, the MoD released files detailing strange and unexplained sightings reported to them between 1986 and 1992.
In one instance, an Alitalia flight coming into land at Heathrow Airport reported a near miss with a UFO, which the pilot described as "similar to a missile - light brown or fawn, about three metres in length but without any exhaust flame''.
Two further near misses were reported in the summer of 1991, when one aircraft flying in to Gatwick Airport reported a "wingless projectile'' passing the left side of the plane, and another flight leaving Gatwick spotted a "small lozenge-shaped object'' speeding past the cockpit.
The files also went into detail about a US Air Force pilot who claims he was ordered to shoot down a UFO flying over southern England in 1957, and was later ordered never to speak about the incident.
Strange floating orbs and unexplained hovering objects have all been recorded and reported to the Ministry of Defence in the last six months.
A total of 231 sightings of unidentified flying objects have been passed on to the MoD so far this year, according to The Sun.
This compares to 285 in 2008, 135 in 2007 and 97 in 2006.
The number of sightings is thought to have increased because many more people now carry digital cameras and are able to photograph strange objects.
Nick Pope, who used to run the Government's UFO project and is considered a leading authority on UFOs, told The Sun: "We are now on track for a record year.
"I thought the number of UFOs reported last year was high, but we now know they are being reported in increasing numbers."
Last year, the MoD released files detailing strange and unexplained sightings reported to them between 1986 and 1992.
In one instance, an Alitalia flight coming into land at Heathrow Airport reported a near miss with a UFO, which the pilot described as "similar to a missile - light brown or fawn, about three metres in length but without any exhaust flame''.
Two further near misses were reported in the summer of 1991, when one aircraft flying in to Gatwick Airport reported a "wingless projectile'' passing the left side of the plane, and another flight leaving Gatwick spotted a "small lozenge-shaped object'' speeding past the cockpit.
The files also went into detail about a US Air Force pilot who claims he was ordered to shoot down a UFO flying over southern England in 1957, and was later ordered never to speak about the incident.
Mile-wide UFO' spotted by British airline pilot
One of the largest UFOs ever seen has been observed by the crew and passengers of an airliner over the Channel Islands.
An official air-miss report on the incident several weeks ago appears in Pilot magazine.
Aurigny Airlines captain Ray Bowyer, 50, flying close to Alderney first spotted the object, described as "a cigar-shaped brilliant white light".
Aurigny Airlines captain Ray Bowyer, 50, described what he thought to be a UFO as 'a cigar-shaped brilliant white light', similar to the image supplied by Dennis Plunket of the British Flying Saucer bureau
As the plane got closer the captain viewed it through binoculars and said: "It was a very sharp, thin yellow object with a green area.
"It was 2,000ft up and stationary. I thought it was about 10 miles away, although I later realised it was approximately 40 miles from us. At first, I thought it was the size of a [Boeing] 737.
"But it must have been much bigger because of how far away it was. It could have been as much as a mile wide."
Continuing his approach to Guernsey, Bowyer then spied a "second identical object further to the west".
He said: "It was exactly the same but looked smaller because it was further away. It was closer to Guernsey. I can't explain it. This was clearly visual for about nine minutes.
"I'm certainly not saying that it was something of another world. All I'm saying is that I have never seen anything like it before in all my years of flying."
The sightings were confirmed by passengers Kate and John Russell. John, 74, said: "I saw an orange light. It was like an elongated oval."
The sightings were also confirmed by an unnamed pilot with the Blue Islands airline.
The Civil Aviation Authority safety notice states that a Tri-Lander aircraft flying close to Alderney spotted the object.
"Certain parts of the report have not been published. I cannot say why," said a senior CAA source.
An official air-miss report on the incident several weeks ago appears in Pilot magazine.
Aurigny Airlines captain Ray Bowyer, 50, flying close to Alderney first spotted the object, described as "a cigar-shaped brilliant white light".
Aurigny Airlines captain Ray Bowyer, 50, described what he thought to be a UFO as 'a cigar-shaped brilliant white light', similar to the image supplied by Dennis Plunket of the British Flying Saucer bureau
As the plane got closer the captain viewed it through binoculars and said: "It was a very sharp, thin yellow object with a green area.
"It was 2,000ft up and stationary. I thought it was about 10 miles away, although I later realised it was approximately 40 miles from us. At first, I thought it was the size of a [Boeing] 737.
"But it must have been much bigger because of how far away it was. It could have been as much as a mile wide."
Continuing his approach to Guernsey, Bowyer then spied a "second identical object further to the west".
He said: "It was exactly the same but looked smaller because it was further away. It was closer to Guernsey. I can't explain it. This was clearly visual for about nine minutes.
"I'm certainly not saying that it was something of another world. All I'm saying is that I have never seen anything like it before in all my years of flying."
The sightings were confirmed by passengers Kate and John Russell. John, 74, said: "I saw an orange light. It was like an elongated oval."
The sightings were also confirmed by an unnamed pilot with the Blue Islands airline.
The Civil Aviation Authority safety notice states that a Tri-Lander aircraft flying close to Alderney spotted the object.
"Certain parts of the report have not been published. I cannot say why," said a senior CAA source.
Possible UFO caught on video
Denna Smith and her family video saw what they believe was a UFO in the sky over a Virginia theme park.
Click here to see video
Labels: Denna Smith, UFO, Video, Virginia
Click here to see video
Labels: Denna Smith, UFO, Video, Virginia
UK ministers were alerted to Perthshire sighting of UFO
Photographs taken of a UFO hovering next to an RAF jet over Perthshire were treated seriously by military investigators, just-released Ministry of Defence files show.
Witnesses saw the mysterious, large diamond-shaped object hanging over the A9 at Calvine, north of Pitlochry, in August 1990. The object remained in position for about 10 minutes next to an RAF Harrier before the UFO ascended vertically at high speed.
UFOs are no stranger to Scotland. Bonnybridge and West Kilbride have a history of unusual sightings dating back decades. At the start of this year a man from Banknock recorded an apparent UFO sighting (pictured) that remains unexplained.
In the 1990 incident, two members of the public took colour photos and provided them to the Daily Record, which in turn passed six negatives to the MoD for comment. The military responded by drawing up guidelines for responding to media questions about the incident.
Military experts could not identify the UFO despite apparently commissioning detailed line drawings of the object.
Fearing there could be significant media interest, the MoD took the unusual step of briefing ministers about the sighting.
An official wrote in a memo: "Such stories are not normally drawn to the attention of ministers, and the MoD press office invariably responds to questions along well-established lines emphasising our limited interest in the UFO phenomenon and explaining that we therefore do not have the resources to undertake any in-depth investigations into particular sightings.
"On this occasion, however, the MoD has been provided with six photographic negatives of an alleged UFO by the Scottish Daily Record and has been asked for comments almost certainly for inclusion in a forthcoming story."
And in late 1991 the MoD apparently commissioned line drawings of the UFO, noting that the "sensitivity of (the) material suggests very special handling".
The incident also discloses that British military intelligence officers tasked with investigating UFO reports took a close interest in claims the US was developing a top secret spy-plane.
The sighting is included in military UFO documents made available online from Sunday by the National Archives.
Labels: Banknock, Bonnybridge, Calvine, Ministry of Defence, MOD, National Archives, Perthshire, Pitlochry, RAF, Scotland, UFO, West Kilbride
Witnesses saw the mysterious, large diamond-shaped object hanging over the A9 at Calvine, north of Pitlochry, in August 1990. The object remained in position for about 10 minutes next to an RAF Harrier before the UFO ascended vertically at high speed.
UFOs are no stranger to Scotland. Bonnybridge and West Kilbride have a history of unusual sightings dating back decades. At the start of this year a man from Banknock recorded an apparent UFO sighting (pictured) that remains unexplained.
In the 1990 incident, two members of the public took colour photos and provided them to the Daily Record, which in turn passed six negatives to the MoD for comment. The military responded by drawing up guidelines for responding to media questions about the incident.
Military experts could not identify the UFO despite apparently commissioning detailed line drawings of the object.
Fearing there could be significant media interest, the MoD took the unusual step of briefing ministers about the sighting.
An official wrote in a memo: "Such stories are not normally drawn to the attention of ministers, and the MoD press office invariably responds to questions along well-established lines emphasising our limited interest in the UFO phenomenon and explaining that we therefore do not have the resources to undertake any in-depth investigations into particular sightings.
"On this occasion, however, the MoD has been provided with six photographic negatives of an alleged UFO by the Scottish Daily Record and has been asked for comments almost certainly for inclusion in a forthcoming story."
And in late 1991 the MoD apparently commissioned line drawings of the UFO, noting that the "sensitivity of (the) material suggests very special handling".
The incident also discloses that British military intelligence officers tasked with investigating UFO reports took a close interest in claims the US was developing a top secret spy-plane.
The sighting is included in military UFO documents made available online from Sunday by the National Archives.
Labels: Banknock, Bonnybridge, Calvine, Ministry of Defence, MOD, National Archives, Perthshire, Pitlochry, RAF, Scotland, UFO, West Kilbride
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