Radar-visual
Every record that shares this tag.
285 records tagged theme
Incidents
213 incidents
1976 Tehran UFO IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedTwo Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantoms intercepted a radar-confirmed UFO over Tehran; both jets experienced simultaneous electromagnetic interference and weapons system failure.Western US Red Orb Sightings with Time AnomalyEvidence rated DocumentedTwo US federal agents observed multiple red/orange orbs over several hours, with one agent's mechanical watch recording 25 minutes ahead of other timekeeping devices.USS Trepang Arctic EncounterEvidence rated ContestedA Sturgeon-class nuclear submarine documented unidentified objects via periscope during Arctic Cold War operations; photographs remained classified until 1990s FOIA release.RAF Lightning Flamborough Head DisappearanceEvidence rated ContestedA US Air Force exchange pilot in a RAF Lightning aircraft disappeared over the North Sea during a mysterious radar interception in 1970, sparking UFO speculation.Syrian UAP Instant AccelerationEvidence rated ContestedInfrared footage from a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone over southern Syria shows an object or objects executing an apparent instantaneous acceleration beyond known aircraft performance, declassified in May 2026 as part of the Pentagon's PURSUE program.GIMBAL & GO FAST EncountersEvidence rated ContestedTwo declassified U.S. Navy FLIR videos — GIMBAL and GO FAST — captured by F/A-18 Super Hornet crews from the USS Theodore Roosevelt in January 2015, showing objects with anomalous flight characteristics; formally released by the Pentagon in April 2020 and central to the modern UAP disclosure movement.Virginia Maritime Swarm IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Navy reports approximately 100 airborne UAP and two uncrewed surface systems off Virginia coast; remains unresolved.Belgian UFO Wave (1989-1990)Evidence rated DocumentedA wave of over 2,000 sightings of large, silent, triangular craft across Belgium from late 1989 through 1991, culminating in a Belgian Air Force F-16 scramble on March 30-31, 1990, with radar confirmation of anomalous targets.DOW-UAP-PR49 Army Infrared EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Army infrared sensor captured nearly two minutes of video tracking two distinct unidentified objects over North America in early 2026, released publicly via PURSUE program.USS Nimitz Tic Tac EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedMultiple U.S. Navy personnel from Carrier Strike Group Eleven tracked and visually encountered a white, wingless, Tic Tac-shaped craft exhibiting extraordinary flight characteristics off the coast of Southern California — producing the most consequential military UAP case of the 21st century.USS Nimitz Tic Tac EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedRadar-visual encounter involving USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and white oblong object displaying extraordinary flight characteristics off Southern California coast.PURSUE Fifth Batch UAP ReleaseEvidence rated DocumentedPentagon releases 41 declassified UAP files as the fifth tranche under PURSUE, featuring thermal imagery and sensor data spanning 1950-2026.Japan Airlines Flight 1628 EncounterEvidence rated ContestedA Japanese cargo 747 crew observed three unidentified objects — including a walnut-shaped craft estimated at twice the size of an aircraft carrier — for fifty minutes over Alaska, an encounter partially corroborated by ground and military radar and later investigated by the FAA, CIA, and FBI.The Sea Fury IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedRoyal Australian Navy pilot Lieutenant J.A. O'Farrell encountered two extremely bright, maneuverable objects while returning to HMAS Albatross, with ground radar independently corroborating their presence.O'Hare Airport UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedTwelve United Airlines employees at Chicago's O'Hare Airport reported a silent, disc-shaped craft hovering over a gate, leaving a hole in the cloud layer before vanishing.Pentagon UAP File Release - Fifth BatchEvidence rated DocumentedThe Pentagon released the fifth batch of declassified UAP files under the PURSUE program on August 7, 2026, containing 41 newly declassified documents, videos, and images of UAP incidents.Swedish Ghost FliersEvidence rated DocumentedA wave of unexplained aircraft sightings swept northern Scandinavia during winter 1933–1934, prompting military searches that found no conventional source.RB-47 Radar-Visual EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedA USAF RB-47H electronic reconnaissance aircraft was tracked and paced by an unidentified luminous object for over 700 miles and 1.5 hours, with the object simultaneously detected visually, on airborne ECM equipment, and by ground radar.Coyne Helicopter IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Army Reserve helicopter near-collision with cigar-shaped metallic object over Ohio; four credible military witnesses; object emitted green beam that filled helicopter cabin.Villa Urquiza UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedChristmas Day 1988 UFO sighting over Villa Urquiza, Buenos Aires, witnessed by 7,500+ people with radar confirmation from the local airport.Hessdalen LightsEvidence rated DocumentedAn ongoing phenomenon in a Norwegian valley involving unexplained luminous objects, investigated continuously since 1983 by Project Hessdalen—one of the longest sustained scientific studies of anomalous aerial phenomena in history.Lubbock LightsEvidence rated DocumentedHundreds of witnesses in Lubbock, Texas, including four Texas Tech professors, observed formations of bluish-green lights racing across the night sky over two weeks in August-September 1951; a college freshman photographed them, and the case was never officially solved.Lakenheath-Bentwaters IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedA six-hour sequence of radar contacts, visual sightings, and jet intercepts over two RAF bases in Suffolk that the Condon Committee conceded was most likely a genuine UFO.Mosul OrbEvidence rated DocumentedMetallic sphere filmed by US intelligence aircraft over Mosul, Iraq, classified for years and later included in Pentagon UAP briefings to Congress.Necklace of Orbs SightingEvidence rated DocumentedApproximately two dozen luminous orbs arranged in a linear formation witnessed moving overhead in the northeastern United States.The Wow! SignalEvidence rated ContestedA strong narrowband radio signal at 1420 MHz was detected for 72 seconds by Ohio State University's Big Ear telescope, marking the most credible candidate for an extraterrestrial radio transmission ever recorded.Chilean Navy Helicopter UFO EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedChilean Navy helicopter equipped with military FLIR camera records unidentified object with thermal discharge capability; officially investigated by government committee with no conventional explanation.Mexico Solar Eclipse UFO SightingEvidence rated ContestedDuring the last total solar eclipse of the twentieth century, tens of thousands of Mexico City residents witnessed an unidentified object, sparking a 13-year wave of UFO reports and video documentation.Virginia Coast UAP SwarmEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Navy reports approximately 100 airborne UAP and 2 surface systems observed off Virginia's coast, under active Pentagon investigation.South Mountain Radar-Visual Case (Condon Case 16, 1967)Evidence rated ContestedA winter 1967 radar-visual report of stationary and fast-moving targets, logged by two surveillance radars and paired with visual sightings, that the Condon Report examined as Case 16 and attributed to propagation effects, a balloon, and a radar malfunction.The Battle of Los AngelesEvidence rated ContestedIn the predawn hours of February 25, 1942, U.S. anti-aircraft batteries fired over 1,400 rounds into the sky above Los Angeles at unidentified targets that were never conclusively explained.Minot Air Force Base IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedMulti-platform radar and visual encounter with UFO over ICBM complex, witnessed by B-52 crew, ground personnel, and missile launch facility security.Berwyn Mountain IncidentEvidence rated ContestedA loud explosion, tremor, and bright lights reported across northern Wales on January 23, 1974—officially attributed to an earthquake and meteor, but disputed by UFOlogists as a possible alien craft crash.1951 New Delhi Flying Club UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedForty aviation experts at New Delhi's flying club witnessed a 100-foot cigar-shaped object performing aerobatic maneuvers at speeds exceeding 1,500 mph.Eglin Air Force Base UAP EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedAn Air Force pilot training off Florida's coast encountered a gray, Apollo spacecraft-shaped object at 16,000 feet that was later determined by AARO to be a commercial light balloon, though the investigation drew Congressional scrutiny for its moderate-confidence conclusion.Sobral UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedTwo Brazilian Air Force pilots witnessed a landed UFO near the Rio Grande River; craft departed at extreme speed and altitude when approached.2021 Intelligence Community Preliminary Assessment on Unidentified Aerial PhenomenaEvidence rated DocumentedOfficial U.S. government assessment of 144 unidentified aerial phenomena from 2004–2021, establishing UAPs as legitimate national security concern.Wanaque Reservoir UFO IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedMass UFO sighting over New Jersey reservoir with multiple official witnesses, color-changing object, and photographic evidence.Loring Air Force Base IntrusionEvidence rated DocumentedUnidentified craft intruded on nuclear weapons storage at Strategic Air Command base over two nights, prompting base alert and jet scramble; declassified military documents confirm sightings.Eastern U.S. Military Aviator SightingEvidence rated DocumentedExperienced military aviator with 28 years of service and four additional personnel observed a high-speed object with anomalous flight characteristics traveling opposite their aircraft direction.Fort Dix-McGuire AFB IncidentEvidence rated ContestedMilitary personnel at Fort Dix and McGuire AFB reported radar-visual confirmation of UFOs and alleged shooting of a humanoid entity.2024 Congressional UAP Hearing: Exposing the TruthEvidence rated DocumentedHouse Oversight Committee joint hearing featuring testimonies from retired naval officers and government insiders affirming UAP reality and advanced technology monitoring of U.S. military installations.Kinross AFB IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedOn November 23, 1953, an F-89C Scorpion interceptor scrambled from Kinross AFB vanished over Lake Superior after radar operators watched it close on an unidentified target — the two blips merging into one before disappearing entirely. Neither the aircraft nor its crew were ever found.Yemen MQ-9 Hellfire EngagementEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone fired a Hellfire missile at an unidentified spherical object over the Arabian Sea on October 30, 2024; video shows the missile striking the object but apparently deflecting or bouncing off without detonation.Military Test Range Orange Orb EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedA senior U.S. intelligence officer and helicopter crew witnessed sustained, multi-witness encounters with dozens of orange orbs on a restricted military test range, including objects approaching within feet of their aircraft and outrunning fighter jet intercepts.Lima Airport UFO SightingsEvidence rated DocumentedMultiple unidentified objects halted air traffic at Lima's international airport for three hours in February 2015, confirmed by radar and commercial pilots.Petit-Rechain IncidentEvidence rated ContestedDuring the peak night of the 1989–1990 Belgian UFO wave, over 13,500 witnesses reported a large triangular craft; military radar confirmed the sighting, and F-16 fighters scrambled unsuccessfully to intercept.Red Bluff UFO Incident (1960)Evidence rated DocumentedTwo California Highway Patrol officers witnessed an intelligently-controlled luminous object for 2+ hours near Red Bluff, verified by radar, with Blue Book's explanation later debunked by astronomers.Gapyeong Disc SightingEvidence rated ContestedMunhwa Ilbo photojournalist Kim Sun-gyu photographed a white disc-shaped object near Seoul, later corroborated by Korean Air Force pilot sighting.GimbalEvidence rated DocumentedNavy F/A-18 pilots filmed an infrared video of an oval-shaped UAP performing gimbal rotation off the U.S. East Coast, later declassified by Pentagon.Fort Monmouth UFO IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedHigh-speed UFO tracked on military radar and visually confirmed by T-33 pilots near Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.Kirtland AFB UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedTwo CAA tower controllers at Kirtland AFB observed a maneuvering object confirmed by radar contact, described as egg-shaped with a white light, which hovered near the airfield before climbing rapidly into the overcast.RAF Lakenheath Police Helicopter EncounterEvidence rated ContestedA National Police Air Service helicopter was pursued by two fast-moving objects over a U.S. military base in the UK, with pilots forced into emergency evasive action; official explanation contradicted by police logs and video evidence.Big Sur 1964 UFO IncidentEvidence rated ContestedAir Force officer Robert Jacobs claimed a UFO followed and interacted with an Atlas D missile during a test near Big Sur in 1964, filmed by 60+ cameras.Kinross F-89 Scorpion DisappearanceEvidence rated DocumentedF-89 Scorpion jet interceptor with two Air Force pilots disappeared while pursuing an unidentified object over Lake Superior.Alderney UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedA large yellow cigar-shaped object observed by commercial airline pilot and confirmed on radar near Alderney, Channel Islands, in April 2007.BOAC Stratocruiser UFO EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedBOAC Stratocruiser with 51 passengers and crew encounters shape-changing UFO with six escort objects over Labrador.Iraq Jellyfish UAPEvidence rated DocumentedMultiple Marines at a US base in Iraq observed and recorded a jellyfish-like object with dangling appendages for 17 minutes from surveillance equipment, with recent re-sighting in 2025.USS Omaha Underwater UAP EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedOn July 15, 2019, the USS Omaha (LCS-12) encountered 14+ unidentified objects displaying radar, thermal, and transmedium capabilities off San Diego; one spherical craft descended underwater with no subsequent wreckage found.Shaitan Mazar UFO IncidentEvidence rated ContestedRadar-tracked UFO sighting over Caspian Sea with military interception attempt; alleged crash in remote Kyrgyz mountains.Western U.S. Federal Agent Orb SightingEvidence rated DocumentedFive federal law enforcement special agents simultaneously witnessed coordinated orange and red orbs near a sensitive U.S. national security site in October 2023, with consistent testimony remaining officially unresolved.Lake Huron F-16 ShootdownEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Air National Guard F-16C shot down an unidentified octagonal object over Lake Huron; footage declassified in 2026 under PURSUE Act.Tully Saucer NestsEvidence rated DocumentedAustralian banana farmer witnessed a large saucer-shaped object rise from a swamp lagoon, leaving behind multiple circular patterns with radially arranged reeds and evidence of material removal.Ghost Rockets of ScandinaviaEvidence rated DocumentedApproximately 2,000 sightings of unidentified rocket- or cigar-shaped objects over Sweden, Finland, and Norway between May and December 1946, prompting serious Swedish government investigation and a covert U.S. intelligence mission led by General Jimmy Doolittle on behalf of CIG Director Hoyt Vandenberg.European UAP Flap (2025)Evidence rated DocumentedA coordinated wave of unidentified aircraft sightings across European airports, military bases, and critical infrastructure from September to November 2025, causing significant aviation disruptions and prompting emergency responses across multiple NATO member states.Operation Mainbrace UFO SightingsEvidence rated DocumentedDuring NATO's largest peacetime military exercise, credible military witnesses across eight nations reported multiple UFO sightings with radar confirmation, prompting official RAF recognition of the phenomenon.Langley Air Force Base Drone/UAP IncursionsEvidence rated DocumentedMultiple unidentified aerial incursions over Langley Air Force Base in December 2024, involving drones or UAPs approximately 20 feet in length traveling at 100+ mph at 3,000–4,000 feet altitude; incident forced relocation of F-22 Raptor fighters and revealed systematic vulnerability in U.S. domestic airspace control.Spaur-Neff ChaseEvidence rated DocumentedAn 86-mile high-speed pursuit of a bright, disk-shaped object by two Ohio sheriff deputies that remained unexplained despite Project Blue Book investigation.Kaikoura LightsEvidence rated DocumentedCargo plane crews and an Australian TV crew filmed and tracked anomalous lights on radar over New Zealand's Kaikoura coast across multiple nights in December 1978.Pantex Facility UAP IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedSilent diamond-shaped object tracked by ground surveillance radar and security personnel at U.S. nuclear weapons facility near Amarillo, Texas.Rendlesham Forest IncidentEvidence rated ContestedOver three nights in late December 1980, U.S. Air Force personnel stationed at twin NATO bases in Suffolk reported encounters with an unidentified craft in Rendlesham Forest; the case produced an official military memo, real-time audio recordings, triangular ground impressions, and elevated radiation readings, earning it the epithet 'Britain's Roswell.'2025 ODNI Orange Orb Helicopter EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedA senior U.S. intelligence official and helicopter crew witnessed multiple orange orbs exhibiting coordinated behavior during a late-2025 mission over a classified test range, with objects approaching within 10 feet of the aircraft.Hudson Valley UFO SightingsEvidence rated ContestedA wave of 5,000–9,000 reported sightings of a massive, silent V-shaped or boomerang craft across New York's Hudson Valley and western Connecticut between 1983 and 1986, investigated by J. Allen Hynek and later linked by police to prankster pilots flying in formation.Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport UAP IncidentEvidence rated ContestedMultiple aircraft at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport reported unidentified radar contacts and collision avoidance warnings in late January 2025, prompting extensive search operations with no conclusive findings.Harare International Airport UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedA disc-shaped object with rotating lights and emanating beams hovered over Zimbabwe's main international airport, triggering high-level CIA response and government-wide concern.Belgian UFO WaveEvidence rated ContestedBetween November 1989 and April 1990, Belgium experienced a mass UFO sighting phenomenon involving tens of thousands of witnesses, military radar tracking, and F-16 fighter jet engagement—one of the Cold War era's most institutionally documented wave events.Mexico City Solar Eclipse UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedMass UFO sighting witnessed by an estimated 40,000 people across Mexico City during the total solar eclipse on July 11, 1991, with multiple video recordings from independent sources.Anoka Police UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedMultiple Anoka police officers observed and filmed a multicolored, anomalous aerial object for 90 minutes; later declassified by FBI as unidentified anomalous phenomenon.2004 Nimitz Carrier EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedAdvanced radar and visual encounter aboard USS Nimitz involving military fighter jets and an unidentified aerial object with anomalous flight characteristics, later documented with official infrared video evidence.STS-80 Space Shuttle ObservationEvidence rated ContestedSpace Shuttle Columbia astronauts photographed and filmed unidentified objects during orbital operations, including cone-shaped objects imaged near Earth's limb.Phoenix LightsEvidence rated ContestedThe Phoenix Lights of March 13, 1997 were a series of widely witnessed aerial phenomena involving 10,000–20,000+ witnesses across Arizona and Nevada, comprising two distinct events: an unexplained V-shaped craft and disputed military flare drops.The Cosford Incident (1993)Evidence rated DocumentedOn the night of 30–31 March 1993, more than a hundred witnesses across the British mainland — including MoD police, military staff, and a meteorological officer — reported a massive triangular or delta-shaped craft traversing the UK from west to east; the episode became the most thoroughly documented UFO mass-sighting in British history and triggered a formal MoD defence assessment.Atlantic Ocean 'Floating Brain' / 'Jellyfish' UAP SightingEvidence rated DocumentedA 32-second infrared video captured by U.S. military over the Atlantic Ocean on January 1, 2020, shows a blob-shaped object with appendages that viral audiences later dubbed the 'floating brain' or 'jellyfish' UAP.2023 Alaska High-Altitude Object IncidentEvidence rated ContestedAn F-22 Raptor shot down an unidentified cylindrical object over Alaska's frozen Beaufort Sea on February 10, 2023, days after the Chinese spy balloon crisis — but the wreckage was never recovered, leaving its true identity officially unconfirmed.ODNI UAP Luring OperationEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. government conducts first documented intentional 'luring operation' to study UAPs at a classified military facility in December 2025, collecting FLIR video, photographs, and firsthand witness testimony.Tehran F-4 Phantom II EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedIranian Air Force F-4 Phantom II interceptors engaged an unidentified luminous object with confirmed radar lock, experiencing simultaneous electromagnetic interference affecting all avionics and weapons systems.Texas Nuclear Facility UAP Sighting - July 2026Evidence rated DocumentedMultiple security personnel at a Texas nuclear weapons facility observed a metallic disc-shaped object with anomalous flight characteristics near restricted airspace, confirmed by radar tracking and investigated by AARO.Gaziantep Airport UAP IncidentEvidence rated ContestedMultiple commercial pilots near Gaziantep Airport reported a bright, glowing unidentified aerial object at 10,000 feet that did not register on radar, prompting a one-hour airport shutdown and fruitless search operation.Greifswald Lights IncidentEvidence rated ContestedMass UFO sighting over Greifswald, East Germany on August 24, 1990, weeks before German reunification. Hundreds of witnesses, including nuclear power plant personnel, observed seven luminous objects in formation with synchronized movements and extraordinary maneuverability.Palomar Observatory Transient AnalysisEvidence rated DocumentedPeer-reviewed scientific study published in Nature Scientific Reports (October 2025) analyzing 100,000+ transient events in historical Palomar Observatory Sky Survey photographs (1949–1957), finding statistically significant correlations between transient sightings and nuclear weapons testing activity, and between transients and contemporary UAP reports.Virginia Maritime UAP Incident (2024–2025)Evidence rated DocumentedU.S. Navy reported approximately 100 airborne UAP and two surface systems off Virginia's coast; AARO investigation ongoing.Northern Michigan Woodland UAP SightingEvidence rated DocumentedMultiple UAP encounters on an isolated 40-acre property in northern Michigan over September and October 2025, with credible elderly witnesses capturing video evidence.Gulf of Oman AC-130J Cold Orbs IncidentEvidence rated ContestedU.S. Special Operations AC-130J gunship crew observed approximately 25 thermal anomalies described as cold orbs that maneuvered aggressively and appeared to react to cannon fire during a live fire exercise.Night of the UFOsEvidence rated DocumentedOn May 19, 1986, 21 unidentified flying objects appeared across four Brazilian states, triggering military interception attempts and official government acknowledgment of unexplained phenomena.Apollo 11 UFO EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedAstronaut Buzz Aldrin reported observing a sizeable luminous object near the Moon and anomalous light phenomena during the Apollo 11 mission, details declassified in May 2026 after 57 years.Virginia Maritime SwarmEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Navy assets reported approximately 100 airborne UAP and two surface systems operating off the Virginia coast in July 2026.Antioquia UAP Sighting (Arteaga Flyby)Evidence rated ContestedCommercial pilot Jorge Arteaga captured clear video footage of a high-speed, disc-shaped metallic object near his aircraft over Antioquia, Colombia.Aegean Sea UAP EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. military encounter with a UAP performing impossible aerial maneuvers over the Aegean Sea, detected via infrared sensors.Tembe Elephant Park UFO IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedCoordinated formation of orbs captured on wildlife webcam over South African nature reserve.Irish Coast Airline Pilot Sightings (2018)Evidence rated ContestedOn 9 November 2018, several airline crews over southwest Ireland reported bright, very fast lights to air traffic control; Shannon radar showed nothing, and the Irish Aviation Authority opened a confidential review.Pentagon July 2026 UAP Files ReleaseEvidence rated DocumentedPentagon releases fourth batch of declassified UAP files including military pilot account of an object exhibiting impossible flight characteristics.Little Rissington UFO IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedRAF Gloster Meteor VII encounters three saucer-shaped objects at 35,000 feet with independent radar confirmation from GCHQ and civilian radar station.ODNI-UAP-D001 Orange Orbs Helicopter EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedLate October 2025: A senior U.S. intelligence official on helicopter investigating reports of loud thuds and multiple glowing orbs encounters five orange orbs at close range near a military test facility; objects demonstrate controlled flight, formation behavior, and acceleration exceeding helicopter and fighter jet speeds.1976 Tehran UFO IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedTwo Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom fighters engaged an unidentified object over Tehran, with both aircraft experiencing simultaneous instrumentation and weapons system failures during the encounter.Frederick Valentich DisappearanceEvidence rated Contested20-year-old Australian pilot disappeared after reporting an unidentified aircraft with unusual features over Bass Strait on October 21, 1978, leaving only mysterious radio audio of metallic sounds before signal loss.Bariloche UFO IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedCommercial aircraft carrying 102 passengers encounters bright unidentified object for 17 minutes on final approach to Bariloche; multiple ground witnesses and airport instruments register electromagnetic interference.East China Sea Football-Shaped UAPEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Indo-Pacific Command personnel observed a football-shaped UAP with three radial projections over the East China Sea in 2024; Pentagon declassified 9-second video footage of the incident in May 2026.Rendlesham Forest IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedMulti-night military UFO sighting with physical traces near RAF bases in Suffolk, England; most credible British UFO incident.Coyne Helicopter IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedMilitary helicopter encounters a 60-foot cigar-shaped craft that bathed the aircraft in green light, causing unexplained altitude climb and instrument malfunction.Bagram Air Force Base Triangle SightingEvidence rated DocumentedMassive silent triangular craft estimated at 500 feet across hovered over Bagram AFB in June 2002, blocking out stars during its passage.Piedmont, Missouri UFO WaveEvidence rated DocumentedOver 500 UFO sightings reported across Piedmont, Missouri and Wayne County during a two-month wave in early 1973, with credible witnesses including educators, pilots, and law enforcement attracting national media attention.Belgium UFO Wave (1989–1990)Evidence rated DocumentedA sustained wave of over 3,000 UFO sightings across Belgium, witnessed by civilians and military personnel, with radar confirmation and F-16 intercept attempts.Walesville F-94 CrashEvidence rated ContestedAn F-94C Starfire interceptor crashed into a New York village after its pilots ejected, killing four civilians, amid claims of UFO pursuit during the 1954 UFO wave.O'Hare International Airport UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedOn November 7, 2006, approximately 12 United Airlines employees and external witnesses reported a metallic disc hovering over Gate C-17 before ascending rapidly through the clouds.Valentich DisappearanceEvidence rated DocumentedTwenty-year-old Australian pilot Frederick Valentich disappeared over Bass Strait after reporting an unidentified aircraft that he determined 'is not an aircraft,' during a radio exchange with Melbourne air traffic control.Milton Torres RAF Manston UFO InterceptEvidence rated ContestedA USAF interceptor pilot was scrambled from RAF Manston and ordered to fire a full rocket salvo at a massive, radar-tracked object over the North Sea, only for it to vanish at an estimated Mach 10 before he could shoot.2007 Alderney UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedMultiple credible witnesses including commercial pilots and radar operators observed bright yellow cigar-shaped objects up to one mile in length near the Channel Islands, with 55 minutes of radar confirmation.Clayton UAP / American Airlines Flight 2292Evidence rated DocumentedA commercial airline pilot reported a long cylindrical object passing directly overhead at 37,000 feet near Clayton, New Mexico, with no radar signature despite FAA and ATC involvement.Puebla UFO Fall (Jopala, 1977)Evidence rated ContestedOn 29 July 1977, witnesses in the remote Sierra Norte of Puebla reported burning debris falling from a luminous object, and local people recovered metal fragments; the case became a well-known Mexican UFO story, but no official report was published.Virginia Beach UAP Swarm (2026 disclosure)Evidence rated ContestedA one-line entry buried in the Pentagon's FY2025 AARO report describes roughly 100 airborne UAP and two uncrewed surface vessels tracked by Navy assets off the Virginia coast — the only maritime case in a year of 319 reports, disclosed with almost no supporting detail.Virginia Coast UAP SwarmEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Navy assets in Virginia Capes operating area detected approximately 100 airborne UAP and two likely uncrewed surface systems in July 2026, documented in Pentagon FY2025 report and actively under AARO investigation.Anoka Police UFO SightingEvidence rated DocumentedThree Anoka police officers witness a multicolored, spherical UAP for 90 minutes with video evidence; report declassified in 2025.1952 Washington, D.C. UFO FlapEvidence rated DocumentedA series of radar and visual UFO sightings over the U.S. capital in July 1952 triggered military scrambles, media frenzy, and unresolved official explanations.Genkai Nuclear Power Plant UAP IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedThree unidentified lights hovered silently over Japan's Genkai Nuclear Power Plant for over two hours, triggering official parliamentary investigation and discrepancies in government explanations.Yellow Sea Six-Pointed Star UAPEvidence rated ContestedU.S. Indo-Pacific Command captured infrared footage of a six-pointed star-shaped object over the Yellow Sea on January 1, 2025, later declassified by the Trump administration in 2026.North Concord Air Force Station Radar SightingEvidence rated ContestedAir Force radar operators at a remote Vermont early-warning station tracked an unusual slow-moving, high-altitude target for 18 minutes on the afternoon of September 19, 1961 — the same calendar date, though hours earlier and roughly 90 miles away, as the Betty and Barney Hill encounter.RAF Lakenheath UFO IncidentEvidence rated ContestedPolice helicopter crew at RAF Lakenheath reported being targeted and pursued by fast-moving unidentified objects, forcing evasive maneuvers over a major NATO military installation.September 2, 2026 Western US Red LightsEvidence rated DocumentedMultiple witnesses reported coordinated sightings of red/dull-red lights over western U.S., spanning five-hour observation window with objects exhibiting synchronized movement and altitude variations inconsistent with conventional aircraft.Gulf of Oman Cold Orbs EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedUS Special Operations Forces aboard an AC-130J gunship observed approximately 25 instances of small metallic orbs exhibiting reactive behavior and extreme speeds during a live fire exercise over the Gulf of Oman.University at Albany Scientific UAP Analysis InitiativeEvidence rated DocumentedA team of physicists at SUNY Albany published the first mainstream peer-reviewed systematic scientific methodology for UAP investigation, developing an AI-assisted analysis protocol and multi-instrument field approach.USS Nimitz Tic-Tac EncounterEvidence rated DocumentedFour U.S. Navy fighter pilots observed and filmed a white, oblong craft demonstrating anomalous flight characteristics off San Diego.Manises UFO IncidentEvidence rated ContestedOn 11 November 1979 the crew of TAE Flight JK-297, carrying 109 people, reported red lights pacing their Super Caravelle near Ibiza and diverted to Manises; an Air Force Mirage F1 sent to intercept them was likewise outpaced, in what Spaniards call their most famous UFO case.Holloman Air Force Base UFO Sightings (1950–1958)Evidence rated ContestedA series of more than a dozen sightings, tracking reports, and film records at the Holloman missile-testing range in New Mexico between 1950 and 1958, several of which Project Blue Book could not explain and some of which never reached its files.Minsk Aeroflot Airliner UFO Encounter (1984)Evidence rated ContestedA Soviet airliner's crew reported a glowing object flying alongside their aircraft near Minsk, with air traffic controllers reporting a 'double' radar return; the case is known mainly through Soviet-era press, a 1991 Soviet journal article, and later accounts whose details conflict.Bellefontaine, Ohio UFO Radar-Visual Case (1952)Evidence rated ContestedOn 1 August 1952 an Air Defense radar tracked a fast unidentified target over western Ohio, two F-86 jets were scrambled from Wright-Patterson AFB, and Project Blue Book first logged the case as Unknown before Ruppelt later attributed it to a low-flying jet and a weather balloon.Yaak, Montana Radar-Visual Case (1952)Evidence rated DocumentedAn Air Force ground-control radar site in northwestern Montana tracked unknown targets in the same period that enlisted personnel reported a visual object, and the case was filed by Project Blue Book as unknown.Ellsworth AFB / Rapid City Incident (1953)Evidence rated ContestedOn 5–6 August 1953, a ground observer, a GCI radar station and two F-84 interceptors tracked a bright light over western South Dakota, a case Project Blue Book left Unsolved and the Condon Report largely attributed to stars, a meteor and radar propagation effects.Haneda Air Base UFO Case (August 1952)Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of August 5–6, 1952, control tower operators and radar at Tokyo's Haneda Air Base tracked a bright light over Tokyo Bay, and an F-94 interceptor's radar locked on before the target broke apart; the Air Force could not explain it.Pinecastle Range Radar-Visual Incident (1978)Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of May 14, 1978, personnel at a restricted US Navy radar range in central Florida reported glowing objects that the range's radar briefly tracked, and a civilian group on a nearby highway reported a large oblong craft; the Navy found no conventional explanation.Cape Canaveral Polaris Radar Track (1961)Evidence rated ContestedDuring a January 1961 Polaris missile test, a radar at Cape Canaveral reportedly tracked an unidentified object for about 14 minutes, hovering and then moving rapidly, while the official report recorded only 'Object Unidentifiable'.Selfridge AFB Radar-UFO Encounter (1950)Evidence rated ContestedOn March 3, 1950, a radar crew at Selfridge AFB tracked an unknown high-altitude target on two radar sets at once while F-80 interceptors were airborne nearby; Continental Air Command called the detection worthy of special note, but Project Grudge filed it as a probable balloon without stated analysis.Carlos de los Santos Montiel encounter (1975)Evidence rated ContestedA Mexican pilot reported three objects that closed on his light aircraft over Lake Tequesquitengo in May 1975, and he later described a radioed Mayday; the case rests mainly on the pilot's own account and on later retellings.Williamtown–Mascot Radar Contacts (Operation Close Encounter, 1983)Evidence rated DocumentedIn June 1983 unidentified radar contacts over the sea north of Sydney prompted the RAAF to put two Mirage jets on alert under 'Operation Close Encounter'; the air force ultimately blamed radar interference, and the declassified file was published in 2012.Alitalia Near-Miss on the Heathrow Approach (1991)Evidence rated DocumentedOn 21 April 1991 the captain of an Alitalia airliner from Milan reported a close call with an unidentified object on the Heathrow approach; air traffic radar also tracked it, and the UK Ministry of Defence ruled out British and American missiles without identifying the object.Bulawayo UFO Sighting (1985)Evidence rated ContestedOn 22 July 1985 a bright, rounded object with a cone on top was reported over western Zimbabwe; two Air Force Hawk fighters were reportedly scrambled and failed to close on it, and senior officers publicly described it as unexplained.Fukuoka F-61 Radar Pursuit (1948)Evidence rated DocumentedOn the night of 15 October 1948, the crew of a USAF F-61 Black Widow night fighter chased an unidentified radar target near Fukuoka, Japan; the object reportedly outran the aircraft six times and was catalogued as Project Blue Book case #218, 'Unknown'.Falconbridge Radar-Visual UFO Incident (1975)Evidence rated ContestedOn 11 November 1975, personnel at the Canadian Forces radar station at Falconbridge, Ontario, reported a bright circular object tracked on radar and seen visually that climbed from 42,000 to 72,000 feet in about 14 minutes, while Sudbury-area police also reported objects that night.Pereslavl-Zalesskiy Intercept (1990)Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of 21 March 1990, Soviet Air Defense units east of Moscow scrambled interceptors after a light-marked object was tracked visually and by radar; the Air Defense chief later publicized more than 100 observations from the Moscow Military District.Japan Airlines Cargo Flight 1628 (Alaska, 1986)Evidence rated ContestedOn 17 November 1986 a Japan Airlines 747 freighter crew reported three objects flying alongside them at 35,000 feet over Alaska; Anchorage radar briefly showed targets, but the FAA could not reconcile them and the case remains disputed.Sturrock Panel (Pocantico Workshop, 1997)Evidence rated ContestedA privately funded 1997 scientific workshop, convened by Stanford physicist Peter Sturrock and sponsored by Laurance Rockefeller, reviewed the physical-evidence claims in UFO reports and concluded that some cases deserved further study without finding proof of extraterrestrial origin.Campeche Infrared UFO Video (Mexico, 2004)Evidence rated ContestedMexican Air Force pilots on an anti-drug patrol filmed bright, fast-moving objects with infrared equipment over southern Campeche on 5 March 2004; the footage was released in May and remains contested.HMAS Hobart and the 1968 DMZ 'Battle of the Lights'Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of 15–16 June 1968, Allied forces off the Vietnamese DMZ reported a swarm of slow lights, fired on them, and in the confusion friendly aircraft sank a US Navy patrol boat and struck Australia's HMAS Hobart, killing sailors. The official explanation is friendly fire; the UFO framing came from a senior US Air Force general's remarks.Great Ithaca Flap (Newfield, New York, 1967)Evidence rated ContestedA wave of lights and reports around the Ithaca area in October–November 1967, beginning with a 12-year-old's claim of a saucer with two humanoid occupants, that local residents later called the 'Great Ithaca Flap'.Baltic Sea Iskra Intercept (1983)Evidence rated ContestedOn 6 July 1983, during NATO's BALTOPS '83 exercise, a Polish Air Force TS-11 Iskra trainer was vectored toward a radar contact over the Baltic and its crew reported a dark, wingless cylinder about six metres long.Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Radar-Visual Case (2018)Evidence rated ContestedA late-2018 sighting near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in which a witness at sea and a witness on shore reported lights moving oddly in the sky, which the researcher Chris Rutkowski says coincided with three primary radar returns from Transport Canada.West Freugh Radar Incident (1957)Evidence rated DocumentedOn 4 April 1957, several Royal Air Force radar stations in south-west Scotland tracked multiple high-altitude objects that the Air Ministry later described as five unidentified reflecting objects, a case that reached Parliament.Woomera Radar Disc (1954)Evidence rated ContestedOn 5 May 1954 radar and binocular observers at the Woomera rocket range recorded a grey disc that Australian records describe as moving at an estimated 3,600 mph above 60,000 feet; the official file records no conclusion.Boston Stump radar incident (1996)Evidence rated ContestedOn 5 October 1996, police patrols near Skegness reported lights, and an air traffic controller saw a stationary radar return over Boston that the Ministry of Defence later attributed to St Botolph's church spire, the 'Boston Stump'.Fishersville Virginia Landing Report (1964)Evidence rated ContestedOn December 21, 1964, Harrisonburg gunsmith Horace Burns reported a large object landing in a field beside Route 250 in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, a claim Project Blue Book investigated and ultimately dismissed as unsubstantiated.Wurtsmith AFB UFO Incident (1975)Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of 30 October 1975, lights hovering near the perimeter and weapons storage area of a Strategic Air Command base in Michigan prompted a KC-135 tanker crew to attempt an intercept; the crew reported two objects that pulled away from them.Hanford Radar-Visual Case (1949)Evidence rated ContestedOn May 21, 1949, a silvery disc hovering over the Hanford nuclear site was confirmed on radar and by ground observers, prompting an F-82 interception from Moses Lake that failed to locate it; Air Force files later attributed the radar contact to a leaflet-dropping aircraft, a link the investigating officer disputed.Pori Air Force UFO SightingEvidence rated ContestedFinnish Air Force pilots reported seven luminous objects above Pori Airport that outpaced their jet, a case the Air Force later acknowledged and attributed to possible foreign reconnaissance aircraft.Algeria Radar and Visual UFO Reports, 1975Evidence rated ContestedBetween January and March 1975, Algerian reports described objects seen visually by multiple witnesses and, according to one compilation, tracked on radar at the same time. A report of the case reportedly reached Henry Kissinger through the American embassy in Algiers, but the cable itself has not been located in any public archive.Clarenville (Random Island) UFO Sighting, 1978Evidence rated ContestedIn the early hours of late October 1978, RCMP Constable James Blackwood and about a dozen local witnesses watched an oval, unidentified craft hover over Random Island in Newfoundland; accounts differ on the date, altitude, and duration.Trenton, New Jersey UFO Sightings, 1952Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of July 22, 1952, three civilian witnesses near Trenton, New Jersey, reported seven large, silent, orange objects in a declassified Air Force report; the investigation rated them undetermined, and later accounts of F-94 intercepts remain unverified.Prestwick Airport Radar Incident (1999)Evidence rated ContestedIn February 1999 an air traffic controller at Prestwick Airport in Scotland tracked a fast-moving, unexplained object on radar; RAF air defence investigated, impounded the radar tapes, and found no corroborating evidence, with the case made public through the MoD's 2010 release of its UFO files.Dayton and Southwest Ohio UFO Wave (October 1973)Evidence rated ContestedIn the second week of October 1973, at least a dozen police officers and hundreds of residents reported a low-flying object with red, green and blue lights near Dayton, Ohio, part of a wider Midwest wave that Wright-Patterson Air Force Base declined to investigate.Iskra Baltic Interception (1983)Evidence rated ContestedA Polish Air Force TS-11 Iskra training crew, ordered to intercept a radar-tracked target over the Baltic in July 1983, reported closing to a few hundred metres on a wingless black cylinder; the case was never officially explained.Tampa, Florida UFO Sighting and F-102 Intercept Attempt, 1961Evidence rated ContestedOn the evening of June 2, 1961, civilians and MacDill AFB personnel reported a star-like object over Tampa that was then tracked on a radar height-finder, prompting an F-102 scramble whose intercept was defeated by jamming; the Air Force closed the case as insufficient data.Dwikora Operation UFO Incident (Surabaya, 1964)Evidence rated FringeOver a week in September 1964, unidentified objects over East Java were reported on radar and by eye, and military air-defence units reportedly fired on them. The case is known in Indonesia as the 'UFO Dwikora' episode and rests mainly on Indonesian secondary accounts.Goose Bay F-94 Interception (1953)Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of 1 May 1953, a USAF F-94 interceptor crew near Goose Air Base chased a light for about 30 minutes; the object climbed away at a speed the crew judged far beyond their own.Kansas City, Kansas Hovering Object (1961)Evidence rated ContestedOn the evening of 12 August 1961, two college seniors reported a large object hovering low enough that they drove beneath it before it climbed away in seconds; Project Blue Book filed the case as Unknown, and it was later cited by physicist James E. McDonald.Calumet Air Force Station Radar Report (1965)Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of 4 August 1965, radar operators at Calumet Air Force Station in Michigan reportedly tracked seven to ten objects flying in formation over Lake Superior at about 9,000 mph; the report reached the national press the next day and has no published official explanation.Schenectady–Oswego Airline Pilot Chase (1956)Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of April 8, 1956, the crew of an American Airlines Convair chased a bright light across upstate New York for nearly half an hour; Project Blue Book later attributed it to the planet Venus.Kincheloe AFB Radar Unknowns (1967)Evidence rated ContestedRadar operators at Kincheloe Air Force Base tracked about 17 unidentified radar targets over roughly an hour on the night of 11 September 1967. No visual sightings were reported, and the Air Force attributed the returns to temperature-inversion propagation effects.San Diego Radar-Visual Case (1957)Evidence rated ContestedOn the evening of 14 October 1957, a tower operator and a Navy S2F pilot pursued a bright, color-changing light off San Diego that the pilot's airborne radar also tracked; Project Blue Book attributed it to the star Arcturus and a temperature inversion, a verdict James McDonald rejected.Portugal Trident Airliner UFO Sighting (1976)Evidence rated ContestedOn 30 July 1976 a British Trident airliner on the London–Faro route and a TriStar nearby reported a bright light and three dark, cigar-shaped objects; the Trident's crew later reported a large radar echo on the return leg.Misawa Air Base UFO Sightings, 1952-1953Evidence rated ContestedWithin about two weeks in late 1952 and early 1953, pilots and radar operators at Misawa Air Base reported unidentified lights and radar contacts, including a fighter pursuit by Col. Donald Blakeslee on 29 December 1952 and an F-94 radar contact on 9 January 1953.Tinker AFB and the Summer of '65 Oklahoma UFO WaveEvidence rated ContestedOver 31 July to 2 August 1965, dozens of police and highway-patrol reports across Oklahoma and neighbouring states, with claims that Tinker AFB radar tracked up to four objects at about 22,000 feet, which other radar sites and base officials could not confirm.Vranov Reservoir UFO Incident (1987)Evidence rated ContestedOn 12 July 1987 a Czechoslovak People's Army helicopter crew from the 51st regiment was vectored by ground control after an unidentified cigar-shaped object, and was ordered to shoot it down over a reservoir crowded with holidaymakers. The crew could not get a firing solution, and the object later reappeared on radar over Brno and Bratislava. The case is the best-known UFO story in Czech military history and rests almost entirely on the pilots' own accounts.Hässleholm Airliner Encounter (1953)Evidence rated ContestedIn December 1953 the crew of a Transair Sweden DC-3 reported a close pass by a metallic, round object over Skåne; the Swedish Air Force said no Swedish aircraft was in the area, and a local perfume firm later admitted releasing advertising balloons that day.Mediterranean RC-135 Encounter (Mount Olympus Radar), 1982Evidence rated ContestedOn 19 October 1982 the whole crew of a USAF RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft reported a large, light-covered object that shadowed them for 90 minutes over the eastern Mediterranean, an event followed from RAF Troodos in Cyprus and revealed only when British files were opened in 2017.Antofagasta Radar-Visual Encounter (Cerro Moreno, Chile, 1978)Evidence rated ContestedTwo Chilean Air Force F-5 training jets and the Cerro Moreno ground radar reportedly tracked a large, smoke-shrouded object near Antofagasta around noon, a case that became one of South America's best-known military radar-visual reports.Perth Airport Radar/Visual UFO Case (1980)Evidence rated ContestedOn 4 December 1980, Perth Airport controllers and radar operators tracked several unidentified objects that were also seen by a 12-year-old girl and her mother in Lockridge; a RAAF Macchi jet found nothing, and the RAAF and Department of Transport offered conflicting explanations.Korean Air Force UFO Engagement During Team Spirit (1980)Evidence rated ContestedAccording to a 2016 JTBC documentary, a South Korean Air Force pilot and a second jet engaged a radar-invisible object at night during the Team Spirit exercise, which climbed to 33,000 feet and vanished; no official record has been published.B-52 Radar Contact over Saudi Arabia (1957)Evidence rated ContestedA Strategic Air Command B-52 crew on a round-the-world training flight logged an unidentified radar return for five to seven minutes over Saudi Arabia; a declassified 1957 intelligence report, released by the Pentagon in October 2026, records it without an identification.Rogue River Incident (1949)Evidence rated ContestedOn 24 May 1949 a group fishing on the Rogue River in Oregon reported a round, silver object about the size of a C-47 that made no sound and left no exhaust; an Air Force OSI inquiry could not rule out an aircraft and the case was filed as unresolved.Redmond, Oregon UFO Incident (1959)Evidence rated ContestedOn 24 September 1959 a police officer and FAA personnel in Redmond, Oregon reported a hovering, multicoloured light; Air Force radar returns and jet interceptors followed, and the Air Force ultimately filed the case as insufficient information.USS Gyatt and Navy F-8C Radar-Visual Encounter (Puerto Rico, 1964)Evidence rated ContestedIn November 1964 the destroyer USS Gyatt tracked an unknown target on radar while a Navy F-8C pilot reported a delta-shaped object at high altitude; the Foreign Technology Division concluded it was an unidentified aircraft, not a UFO.Lincoln AFB Radar-Visual Case (1957)Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of 13 February 1957, control tower and ground-controlled-approach radar operators at Lincoln AFB tracked several objects trailing an airliner; three tower controllers and the base operations director also watched them visually. Blue Book filed it as probable balloon or aircraft.Wright-Patterson / Vandalia Radar-Visual Case (Dayton, Ohio, 1950)Evidence rated ContestedOn the morning of 8 March 1950, radar operators at Wright-Patterson AFB and a nearby site logged strong returns while airport controllers and pilots reported a luminous object near Dayton; the Air Force attributed it to Venus and ice-laden clouds.Unidentified Aircraft Intercepted Off Bolinao, Philippines (2021)Evidence rated DocumentedOn September 2, 2021, Philippine air defense radar tracked an unidentified aircraft at 21,000 ft approaching national airspace; two FA-50 jets intercepted it, it ignored radio calls, then accelerated away and was never identified.Athens–Olympic Airways UFO Sighting and Greek F-16 Intercept (2007)Evidence rated ContestedIn the early hours of November 11, 2007, the crew of an Olympic Airways flight reported an unidentified bright object near Athens, prompting an F-16 intercept; the Greek Air Force later attributed it to the planet Venus, though the radar and dating accounts remain inconsistent.Oregon White Aircraft (October 2017)Evidence rated DocumentedOn October 25, 2017, an unidentified white aircraft with no transponder was tracked on FAA radar at about 37,000 feet over Northern California and Oregon, seen visually by airline crews, and chased by F-15Cs from Portland; it was never identified, and the FAA recordings were released under FOIA in 2018.Arica Radar-Visual UFO Incident (1997)Evidence rated ContestedIn the early hours of 31 March 1997, control-tower staff at Arica's Chacalluta airport reported three luminous objects that were reportedly confirmed on radar; the Chilean civil aviation authority publicly acknowledged the radar returns and the episode led to the creation of Chile's CEFAA committee on anomalous aerial phenomena.Nevada Fireball (Las Vegas UFO), April 18, 1962Evidence rated ContestedA bright, slow-moving object crossed several western states on the evening of April 18, 1962, and was tracked on Nellis AFB radar before ending in a flash near Mesquite, Nevada; the Air Force's bolide explanation was never fully reconciled with the radar record.John Lennon UFO Sighting (1974)Evidence rated ContestedOn 23 August 1974, ex-Beatle John Lennon and girlfriend May Pang reported a silent, circular object with flashing white lights and a red beacon hovering over the East River, an episode Lennon later recorded in a liner note and a 1984 song.Tehran IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedImperial Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom jets scrambled to intercept a structured craft over Tehran; pilots reported equipment failures and radar confirmation of a large, maneuverable object.2013 Aguadilla UFO IncidentEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft captured infrared video of an anomalous object displaying unusual thermal properties and physics-defying maneuvers over Puerto Rico.Japan Airlines Flight 1628 UFO EncounterEvidence rated ContestedCommercial cargo pilot Captain Kenji Terauchi reported three unidentified objects with rectangular light arrays tracking a Boeing 747-200F for 400 miles at 35,000 feet; radar evidence remains contested.Lake Michigan UFO EventEvidence rated DocumentedOn March 8, 1994, hundreds of witnesses reported multiple UFOs over Lake Michigan with confirmed radar tracking by the National Weather Service, generating over 300 emergency calls.Stephenville SightingsEvidence rated DocumentedDozens of residents in rural Erath County, Texas reported a massive, silent, brilliantly lit craft — up to a mile long — streaking across the evening sky, corroborated by FAA radar data and followed by a contradictory military response.Kadena Air Base Radar Contact, Okinawa (1951)Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of 3 October 1951 a radar crew at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa tracked a large “sausage-shaped” target at speeds the Air Force later estimated at over 2,000 mph; a declassified intelligence analysis concluded it was probably a manufactured, possibly guided missile.Fürstenfeldbruck Radar-Visual Case, 1948Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of 23 November 1948, two US Air Force F-80 pilots at Fürstenfeldbruck saw a reddish light that a ground radar station tracked at 27,000 feet, later reported climbing to about 50,000 feet; the case is cited by Edward Ruppelt as an early example of simultaneous visual and radar contact.VASP Flight 169 (Brazil, 1982)Evidence rated ContestedOn a night flight from Fortaleza to Rio de Janeiro, the crew of VASP Boeing 727 PP-SNG reported an object that moved around the airliner for roughly half an hour. The commander ruled out Venus; a 2014 Journal of Scientific Exploration paper argues Venus, possibly distorted by the atmosphere, is the likely explanation.Archie 29 KC-97 Newfoundland Radar Case (1955)Evidence rated ContestedTwo USAF KC-97 tankers refuelling off Newfoundland on 5 July 1955 tracked bright objects visually while ground radar followed them for about 49 minutes, with the pilot's direction changes matching radar returns.Thule Air Base Radar and Interceptor Sightings, Greenland (1953)Evidence rated ContestedIn 1953 the Air Force's Arctic air-defence outpost at Thule, Greenland, logged an unidentified radar track on a ground-controlled approach scope and a series of glowing lights seen by interceptor pilots. Both were explained as ordinary phenomena at the time, but the reports are still cited as early military UFO records from the Arctic.Nemuro Air Force Detachment Radar-Visual Sighting (Hokkaido, 1953)Evidence rated ContestedOn 7 February 1953 five U.S. Air Force radar and ground personnel at a Hokkaido detachment watched a star-like, colour-changing light for about 35 minutes, and a radar return was logged and dismissed; the Far East Air Forces concluded it was probably a Soviet weather balloon.Budapest Sightings of 1955–1956 (CIA Reports)Evidence rated ContestedBetween late 1955 and mid-1956, CIA information reports recorded second-hand accounts of unidentified craft over Budapest and a formation moving toward Moscow; the reports are unevaluated and their original text is not publicly verifiable in English.BA5061 Pennines airmiss (1995)Evidence rated DocumentedA British Airways Boeing 737 on approach to Manchester reported a solid, wedge-shaped object passing within feet of the cockpit; both pilots saw it, but radar showed nothing and the UK Civil Aviation Authority's airmiss group classed the risk and cause as 'unassessable'.Winnipeg and Kenora Radar UFO Returns, July 1967Evidence rated ContestedOn the night of 6–7 July 1967, Canadian air traffic radar in Manitoba and Ontario logged unidentified targets, one of which tracked through seven sweeps and accelerated from about 720 to 3,600 knots, and which a 1967 Canadian Forces briefing later described as unexplained.Chile Airliner Sighting 2018 (Six Commercial Flights)Evidence rated ContestedPilots of six commercial airliners over northern Chile reported bright, moving lights, some described as triangular, and the national civil aviation committee confirmed the reports without identifying the objects.White Sands Theodolite Sighting, 1949Evidence rated ContestedOn 24 April 1949 a tracking team at White Sands used a theodolite to follow a second object they computed at about 56 miles up and seven miles per second; Edward Ruppelt could not explain it, and later accounts dispute the observer and the figures.
Personalities
72 people
Ian RidpathEvidence rated DocumentedEnglish astronomer and science writer who provided the first rigorous skeptical analysis of the Rendlesham Forest incident.David MarlerEvidence rated DocumentedUFO researcher and archivist specializing in triangular UFO reports; curator of the world's largest historical collection of UFO case files.Oscar Santa María HuertaEvidence rated DocumentedPeruvian Air Force colonel who attempted to shoot down a UFO over La Joya Air Base in 1980—the only documented case of a military aircraft firing weapons at a UAP.Paul TrentEvidence rated ContestedOregon farmer who captured the most famous UFO photographs in history on May 11, 1950.Paul DevereuxEvidence rated ContestedBritish earth-mysteries author who coined the term "earth lights" and argued that many UFO reports are unknown natural luminous phenomena rather than alien craft.Giancarlo CecconiEvidence rated DocumentedItalian Air Force marshal whose 1979 cigar-shaped UFO photographs remain among the most credible aerial documentation on record.Scott KellyEvidence rated DocumentedNASA astronaut and ISS commander who joined formal government UAP research and publicly discussed UFO identification challenges.Graham BethuneEvidence rated DocumentedRetired U.S. Navy commander and pilot who witnessed a massive UFO encounter over the Atlantic with 31 passengers in 1951, later testified at Project Disclosure.Tom RoganEvidence rated DocumentedWashington Examiner journalist and foreign policy analyst investigating UAP disclosure with balanced skepticism and calls for transparency.Edward J. RuppeltEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Air Force officer who headed Project Blue Book, coined the term 'UFO,' and wrote the first serious insider account of government UFO investigations.Philippe AillerisEvidence rated DocumentedFrench ESA scientist pioneering systematic UAP research through automated surveillance and Earth Observation satellites.Robert M. L. Baker Jr.Evidence rated DocumentedAerospace engineer and physicist who pioneered kinematic analysis of UFO footage and testified before Congress on anomalous phenomena.Chad UnderwoodEvidence rated DocumentedNaval Flight Officer who filmed the USS Nimitz TicTac FLIR footageRobert A. PowellEvidence rated DocumentedSemiconductor engineer turned UAP analyst; co-founder of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies.Paul DongEvidence rated DocumentedPioneer of Western documentation of Chinese UFO phenomena and paranormal researchJean-Jacques VelascoEvidence rated DocumentedDirector of France's GEPAN and SEPRA UFO investigation programs for nearly three decades, who publicly endorsed the extraterrestrial hypothesis in 2004 — at significant professional cost.Alex DietrichEvidence rated DocumentedNavy F/A-18F pilot and primary witness to the 2004 USS Nimitz Tic Tac UAP encounter; retired 20-year career officer and disclosure advocate.Martin ShoughEvidence rated DocumentedScottish photographic scientist and rigorous radar UAP case analyst, NARCAP research associate.Milton TorresEvidence rated DocumentedUSAF fighter pilot ordered to shoot down a radar-tracked UFO over UK in 1957; case declassified 51 years later.Zhang NanEvidence rated DocumentedBeijing-based UAP researcher known for AI-assisted acceleration analysis of declassified military footageClas SvahnEvidence rated DocumentedSwedish journalist and chairman of UFO-Sverige and the Archives for the Unexplained, who built a career on debunking hoaxes as readily as chasing genuine anomalies.Richard F. HainesEvidence rated DocumentedNASA aerospace engineer and founder of NARCAP, documenting aviation UAP incidents for aerospace safetySven HjalmarssonEvidence rated DocumentedSwedish fighter pilot who experienced a radar-visual UFO encounter in 1977 over the Baltic Sea while flying a J-35F DrakenLeon DavidsonEvidence rated DocumentedChemical engineer and pioneering UFO analyst who argued government psychological operations, not extraterrestrials, explained UFO sightingsTerence MeadenEvidence rated DocumentedBritish physicist and meteorologist who developed the plasma vortex theory to explain atmospheric anomalies and crop circles.Frederick ValentichEvidence rated ContestedAustralian pilot who vanished over Bass Strait after reporting a UFO encounter on 21 October 1978.Mark CarlottoEvidence rated DocumentedAerospace engineer and image analyst specializing in anomalous phenomena analysis through digital image processing and remote sensing.Vladimir AzhazhaEvidence rated DocumentedSoviet naval officer and leading Russian UFO researcher specializing in declassified underwater encounter records.Harry Allen JordanEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Navy radar operator who reported a high-altitude radar contact aboard USS Roosevelt in 1962, later testified to the Disclosure Project.Georgina BruniEvidence rated DocumentedBritish investigative journalist and UFO researcher best known for her definitive study of the Rendlesham Forest incident.Dr. Cecilia LevyEvidence rated DocumentedAstroparticle physicist and Associate Professor at University at Albany, bridging dark matter research and rigorous scientific methodology in UAP investigation.Jenny RandlesEvidence rated DocumentedBritish UFO researcher, BUFORA director, and prolific author who pioneered systematic UFO investigation in the UK.John TedescoEvidence rated DocumentedLaboratory engineer who created the Nightcrawler, an advanced mobile UAP surveillance platform deployed to investigate 2025 drone waves and recognized by the Pentagon's AARO.Jack KasherEvidence rated DocumentedPhysics professor and rigorous UFO researcher whose analysis of NASA shuttle footage challenged conventional explanations of anomalous phenomena.Martyn StubbsEvidence rated DocumentedCanadian filmmaker and TV engineer who recorded 2,500 hours of NASA Space Shuttle downlink transmissions, documenting anomalous objects in orbit.Wilfried de BrouwerEvidence rated DocumentedBelgian Air Force Chief of Operations who authorized public disclosure of radar evidence from the 1989–1990 UFO wave.Illobrand von LudwigerEvidence rated ContestedGerman physicist and aerospace engineer who founded MUFON-CES in 1974 and led five decades of rigorous scientific UFO investigation across Central Europe, investigating over 600 anomalous cases and developing a theoretical framework for anomalous propulsion based on Burkhard Heim's field theory.Flight Sergeant Roland HughesEvidence rated DocumentedRAF fighter pilot who encountered a UFO over West Germany in 1952, confirmed by ground radar and briefed to UK aviation minister.Robert M. PowellEvidence rated DocumentedSemiconductor engineer and co-founder of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies, known for rigorous radar analysis of UAP incidents.Ted RoeEvidence rated DocumentedCo-founder and Executive Director of NARCAP; aviation safety researcher and founder of the UAP Medical Coalition.James FoxEvidence rated DocumentedDocumentary filmmaker whose high-production UAP films shaped mainstream credibility of UFO disclosure.Captain Kenju TerauchiEvidence rated DocumentedDecorated Japan Airlines pilot whose 1986 UFO encounter over Alaska remains one of aviation's most credible sightings.Stephen BruehlEvidence rated DocumentedVanderbilt pain researcher who applied rigorous statistical analysis to historical astronomical records, finding correlations between mysterious sky transients, nuclear tests, and UAP sightings.Gene CernanEvidence rated DocumentedApollo 17 commander and last person to walk on the moon; reported unexplained observations during final lunar mission despite skeptical stance on UFO interpretations.Frank BormanEvidence rated DocumentedNASA astronaut and military pilot who commanded Gemini 7 and Apollo 8; reported unidentified spacecraft during December 1965 Gemini VII mission.Jeremy CorbellEvidence rated DocumentedInvestigative filmmaker who released authenticated Navy UAP footage and directed the landmark Netflix documentary on Bob Lazar.David BeatyEvidence rated ContestedEmmy-credited documentary filmmaker who made the animated film The Nimitz Encounters and used FOIA requests to document the July 2019 Navy 'drone swarm' sightings off California.Sean CahillEvidence rated DocumentedRetired Navy Chief Master-At-Arms and direct witness to the 2004 Nimitz Tic Tac UAP encounter.General Glen D. VanHerckEvidence rated DocumentedNORAD commander who refused to rule out extraterrestrial origins for 2023 UAP incidentsMartin KleistEvidence rated DocumentedDanish-Greenlandic lawyer and UAP researcher investigating anomalous aerial phenomena in southern Greenland since 2023.John CallahanEvidence rated DocumentedFAA division chief who disclosed the 1986 Japan Airlines radar encounter over AlaskaAlexandro C. WigginsEvidence rated DocumentedFirst active-duty U.S. Navy officer to testify publicly before Congress about a UAP incident; Senior Chief Petty Officer who witnessed a transmedium object emergence off Southern California.Bruce CornetEvidence rated DocumentedGeophysicist and systematic field researcher who documented 137 UAP encounters in the Hudson Valley with rigorous magnetic survey and multi-witness accounts.Delbert C. NewhouseEvidence rated DocumentedU.S. Navy Chief Photographer whose 1952 Tremonton UFO film remains one of the most analyzed pieces of early UFO evidence.Francis L. RidgeEvidence rated Documented60-year UFO investigator, MUFON director, database curatorKevin DayEvidence rated DocumentedRetired Navy Senior Chief radar operator and TOPGUN air intercept controller who directed the fighter jets into the 2004 Nimitz 'Tic Tac' encounter, then lost his career and rebuilt his life around the case.Jerry R. EhmanEvidence rated DocumentedRadio astronomer who discovered the Wow! signal, one of the most famous unexplained radio signals in SETI history.Don LedgerEvidence rated DocumentedMaritime UFO researcher and author who documented underwater UFO phenomena and the Shag Harbour incident.Vasily YeremenkoEvidence rated DocumentedRetired FSB major general who oversaw Soviet UFO research and documented government experiments with anomalous phenomena.Lincoln LaPazEvidence rated DocumentedAstronomer and mathematician who led the U.S. military investigation into New Mexico's mysterious green fireballs.Jeffrey NuccetelliEvidence rated DocumentedFormer Air Force officer and federal whistleblower who documented five UAP incidents at Vandenberg Space Force Base (2003–2005), testifying before Congress on September 9, 2025.David FravorEvidence rated DocumentedRetired U.S. Navy Commander and primary witness to the 2004 USS Nimitz Tic Tac incident.Ryan GravesEvidence rated DocumentedFirst active-duty U.S. Navy F/A-18F pilot to publicly report regular UAP sightings; founded Americans for Safe Aerospace.Ron RegehrEvidence rated DocumentedAerospace engineer and half-century UFO researcher who used satellite surveillance expertise to authenticate the 1976 Tehran incident.Luis ElizondoEvidence rated DocumentedPentagon intelligence officer who led AATIP and became the face of modern U.S. government UFO/UAP disclosure.Gary Voorhis Jr.Evidence rated DocumentedUS Navy fire control-man and direct witness to the 2004 USS Nimitz tic-tac encounter; co-founder and president of UAPx scientific research organization.Albert M. ChopEvidence rated DocumentedAir Force press officer and firsthand witness to the 1952 Washington D.C. UFO incident who converted from skeptic to believer in unknown craft.Robert HastingsEvidence rated ContestedUFO researcher who compiled 160+ military officer interviews on nuclear weapons incidents and hosted the landmark 2010 National Press Club disclosure conference.General Parviz JafariEvidence rated DocumentedIranian Air Force general who piloted an F-4 Phantom during the 1976 Tehran UFO incident and testified at the 2007 National Press Club disclosure conference.Chris LehtoEvidence rated DocumentedRetired USAF F-16 Lieutenant Colonel who applies combat pilot expertise and crash investigation methodology to the analysis of declassified UAP footage.Charles Irwin HaltEvidence rated DocumentedDeputy Base Commander at RAF Bentwaters whose 1980 Rendlesham Forest investigation yielded the first-hand audio documentation and military testimony for one of the world's most credible UFO incidents.Clyde TombaughEvidence rated DocumentedThe self-taught astronomer who discovered Pluto — and who, as one of the most credentialed scientists ever to report a UFO, became a touchstone case for the 'credible witness' argument.