16 November, 2014

Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon: Two US Military Air Defense Radar Operators Track 8 UAPs For Four Hours

On occasion I will post interesting UAP activities from one of the worlds largest and most professional UAP research organizations. MUFON (Mutual UFO Network). Here is a fascinating case from MUFON’s “Sighting Of The Month”.

Although this incident occurred in 1967, I decided it was worthy to print because of the number of competent, multiple U.S. Air Force military witnesses coupled with two separate radar installations including three Marine F-4 Phantoms in pursuit of the bogeys. The UAPs were tracked at an astonishing 5000 mph!

UAP SIGHTING OF THE MONTH SYNOPSIS:
On or about March 31, 1967 two US Military Air Defense Radar Operators tracked a total of eight unidentified targets over coastal areas of southern Florida. The operators and radar stations were separated by approximately 100 miles. These two distinct radar sites were located at Homestead AFB, Florida and the Army Air Defense Battery on Key West, Florida. The radar tracking and observation lasted for approximately four hours. Two separate UAP flight areas were identified, one off of the east coast near Miami, Florida (Flight Area A) and the second just south of the Florida mainland and north of Key West, Florida (Flight Area B).

OBJECT DESCRIPTION:
The only visual object description was from a member of the Army Air Defense launch crew who commented the one object was moving so fast it was like a meteor, but was flying level. Based on the radar return the primary witness estimated the size of one UAP as between 31 and 100 feet.

INTERVIEW/STATEMENTS:
DF stated; It was late March 1967. I was a buck Sergeant In the United States Air Force. I was stationed at the 644th Radar Squadron, Richmond Air Force Station, Florida. The radar squadron was just north of U.S. Highway 1 in Miami, Florida. I was working a twelve hour shift from 7pm To 7am. I was speaking with WS about 10pm, when I received a priority telephone call from NORAD Headquarters. They advised that four unidentified aircraft had been picked up on Canadian radar passing over mid Canada and heading south along the east coast of the United States at a very high rate of speed.

I notified the duty officer and waited for my radar to paint the four unidentified aircraft. The radar showed four targets coming into range at approximately 5000 mph and decelerating to approximately 1500 mph. I had WS on my telephone and advised him as the situation developed. Bill advised that he had the four aircraft on his radar. We both watched the aircraft flying grid patterns for approximately four hours. At approximately 2am, Bill told me that one of the aircraft had broken formation and was flying toward his site. I lost contact with Bill a few moments later.

WS stated; it was late March of 1967. I was in the army at that time, and assigned to an air defense center in Key West, Florida. I spent many of my nights in a radar control center watching the various screens. My second cousin was also in the scope dope business. He was in the Air Force at the time and worked in a radar station in Homestead, Florida, just outside Miami.

We spent many an evening conversing on the air defense net, although our conversations rarely had anything to do with air defense. My cousin called me one night on the net and advised me that something unbelievable was happening in South Florida. He opened the net so I could monitor the traffic regarding the incident taking place. I pulled my headset to my ears as I listed to various NORAD stations tracking a UAP just off the coast of Miami.

At the time, Homestead was a SAC base, and any such traffic was a great concern to the Air Force. Although I was about 100 miles from the target under discussion, I had the capability to observe activity in the area with my own radar. I had only to take it off standby. As I was bringing up my antenna, the chatter continued, and referred to three more objects in the sky near Miami. It was also noted that civilian observers had now sighted the objects and the sighting was being reported on local commercial radio.

As my scope came up the first thing I noticed were three Marine fighters departing Boca Chica Naval Air Station, heading north. The UAPs were clearly visible just southeast of Miami. They appeared to be moving just East of North, skirting the Florida Coast. They then turned sharply west, crossing the keys near Everglades National Park on the south tip of the Florida mainland. It only took the Phantoms a few minutes to reach the area of the bogies.

I have no idea if the pilots sighted the targets visually, or electronically. The air channel was not part of the NORAD net. As the phantoms approached the targets they disappeared off the scope. Now there is only one way to disappear when being observed by a PAR (Pulse Acquisition Radar). You must go straight up, or straight down. This cat and mouse game went on all night. There is much too much to type in this report.

Visual observations in Miami included the observation of one large object and three small. This I cannot verify, although I imagine the Miami Herald would have some record of it. To me, they appeared to be flying a search pattern. The way the Coast Guard would search in grids. After about four hours one of the unknowns began moving south directly towards my location. The target was really moving, probably twice the speed of anything I had ever tracked, around 1100 miles an hour. This would provide me with an excellent opportunity to lock onto the target with a different type of radar. This other type of radar, which I probably should not identify, has the capability of bringing back actual sounds of the target. Turbo prop, jet engines, or the thud of rotary aircraft could clearly be heard with this system.

As the target approached it decelerated but was still supersonic. I brought the targeting radar into alignment with it and brought the unit on-line. For a short moment, a very short moment, I could hear a high-pitched whine, similar to a jet engine, but smoother and much higher pitch. At this point the target obviously detected my lock and hit my sight with some type of Electronic Counter Measure. It appeared to reverse the polarity of every piece of equipment on the sight, although I was never able to verify that.

Needless to say this caused an instant shut down of the system and erased a great many taxpayer dollars. As I was exiting the control center the launch crew stated that they had seen the object pass over. It was moving so fast that one of the guys swore it was a meteor, but was flying level. When last seen the object was headed south towards Cuba. It was many years later that I read newspaper articles about a two-week flap in the Miami area. I would also later learn about a Cuban MIG21 that was allegedly destroyed during an encounter with a UAP in March 1967.

NATURAL/MANMADE PHENOMENON:
The characteristics of the object do not match known aircraft. According to the one Army launch crew member it had an anomalous appearance, like a meteor that was flying a level course. On radar, the objects indicated anomalous movements; broken or interrupted trajectories, and apparition of physical-spatial incongruities; disappearing and reappearing on radar. At least one of the objects demonstrated supersonic speed without producing a sonic boom.

03

EVIDENCE/INVESTIGATION:
This is a historical case that occurred approximately 47 years ago. The primary witness is a MUFON Field Investigator and he has investigated this case over a several year period.
Checked MUFON CMS database for the months of March and April 1967, no other cases found in Florida.

Checked NICAP database and found 4 Florida cases, 1 case may be related to this case. It was in March 1967, however a specific date and time were not identified. It is the case involving a Cuban Mig-21 destroyed while engaging an unknown target over NE Cuba. Some investigative reports suggest the unknown was an A-12 or SR-71 American Spy Plane.

Note, if memory serves, The SR-71 is a recon airplane without armaments.

My words. Checked NUFORC database and found 1 Florida case from April 01, 1967 that we believe is related. This case was reported in June 2005, but the event date was listed as approximately April 1, 1967 and the location was at the Flamingo Campgrounds near Homestead, Florida. The description of the event has similarities with observations made by the radar operators. The location also matches.

Checked meteor/fireball database and did not find any that matched location and date for this case.
Several newspaper articles were discovered that refer to sightings within a few weeks of this case, however the Air Force determined the many witnesses, three teachers and several students from the Crestview School in Opalocka, Florida, were observing a Coast Guard Helicopter engaged in training maneuvers at an airport approximately 3 miles from their location. The witnesses did not agree with this assessment. The date, time, and objects movements as well as colors seem to match the primary witness’s description of the event. All was documented in the local newspapers.

WITNESS CREDIBILITY:
Witnesses are credible, at the time of the event they were US Military radar operators.

CORRELATING CASES:
NUFORC Case Posted 6/20/2005 and reported 6/2/2005 location was Homestead, Florida and event date was approximately 4/01/1967. USAF Investigation and Findings document number 1003764 dated 4 May 1967, event date April 7, 1967. Crestview School daytime UAP sightings.

CONCLUSION:
Our conclusion for these objects is UNKNOWN-UAV. They do not match the capabilities of known military or commercial aircraft from that time period.

Fascinating! Isn’t it?

Link:  http://googleufonews.com/unidentified-aerial-phenomenon-military-air-defense-radar-operators-track-8-uaps-hours/

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