UFO research guide, August 2011

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sightings 2001 at DEFE 24/2020/1, sightings reported in 2002-3 at DEFE 24/2035/1,
sightings 2006 at DEFE 24/2082/1 and sightings in 2007 at DEFE 24/2081/1.
One file containing Press Cuttings on UFOs from 1996-2002, collected and annotated by
MoD UFO desk officers, was opened in August 2011 at DEFE 24/2047/1.
DEFE 31 contains a series of UFO records created by the Defence Intelligence Staff
branch DI55 and their predecessors, Air Ministry DDI (Tech). Policy files are DEFE
31/118 and DEFE 31/119. UFO report files include DEFE 31/171 (1975-76) and DEFE
31/163 through to DEFE 31/167 (1979). Four files in the DI55 UFO reports sequence
were opened in May 2008. These are DEFE 31/172/1 (UFO reports 1978-1983), DEFE
31/173/1 (UFO reports June 1983-March 1985), DEFE 24/174 (UFO reports April 1985-
December 1986) and DEFE 31/175/1 (UFO reports December 1986-November 1987).
Six DI55 UFO files were opened in March 2009. DEFE 31/1976/1 - DEFE 31/181/1
contain details of reports received by DI55 between November 1987 and April 1993.
Seven DI55 files were opened in August 2011, covering sighting reports received from
April 1993-July 1996. These can be found at DEFE 31/182/1-DEFE 24/187/1.
Details of some well-documented UFO sightings investigated by the Air Ministry and
Ministry of Defence can be found by searching the reports files. AIR 2/18564 and AIR
20/9320 contain reports from various RAF stations including RAF West Freugh in 1957.
The West Freugh incident involved the tracking of UFOs by a number of trailer-mounted
radar units at a RAF bombing range in southern Scotland. It led to national interest when
the story leaked to the press. Newspaper stories led to questions in Parliament and at
the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). A report on the incident prepared by DDI (Tech)
contains in its conclusions what is possibly the closest the Air Ministry ever got to
recognition that some UFOs remained inexplicable and therefore of possible defence
interest. The report stated: ‘It is concluded that the incident was due to the presence of
five reflecting objects of unidentified type and origin. It is considered unlikely that they
were conventional aircraft, meteorological balloons or charged clouds’ (AIR 20/9321).
AIR 20/11889 and AIR 20/11890 contain papers and reports on a 'flying cross' sighted
by police officers and other witnesses in Devon, Sussex and elsewhere during October
1967. Papers from 1967-68 also contain details of field investigations of selected UFO
reports carried out by S4 (Air) and DI55. AIR 2/19083 contains brief details of the so-
called Berwyn Mountains UFO incident, reported in North Wales in January 1974, and
further details were made available to a member of the public in 2003 (DEFE 24/2045/1).
AIR 2/19125 is a collection of UFO sightings compiled by staff at RAF Patrington in
North Yorkshire – referred to as 'reports of unusual occurrences (UFO).' This includes
details of sightings made by civilians, police, and various flight personnel from the station
between 1968 and 1973.
DEFE 24/1943/1, transferred to The National Archives during 2008, contains a collection
of letters sent to the MoD between 1985 and 1992 describing alleged ‘close encounter
reports, alien entities and [alien] abductions.’
AVIA 65/33 contains papers and photographs relating to Project Y (1953-55), a
Canadian proposal to design a saucer-shaped vertical take off (VTOL) aircraft. This file
shows that both the Air Ministry and Ministry of Supply wished to develop ideas for
saucer-shaped aircraft but no progress was made due to cost and technical difficulties.