| ID | #1632234930 |
| Added | Tue, 21/09/2021 |
| Author | July N. |
| Sources | The Toronto Star
|
| Phenomena | |
| Status | Research
|
Initial data
Toronto, Ontario, STAR, January 20, 1979, pages A1 and A8
WASHINGTON. Canadian jet fighters "took off" at least twice in a week in an attempt to intercept unidentified flying objects, it was confirmed last night.
The incidents were disclosed in previously classified documents published in Washington by the US Air Force and the Ministry of Defense. They were confirmed by an official of the National Research Council in Ottawa.
Reports from the United States and Canada say that UFOs were spotted near a top-secret Canadian military facility and hovered over a number of nuclear missile launch sites and bomber bases in the United States.
The military from the United States and Canada reported that the mysterious ship visited the base of the North American Air Defense Command (Norad) in North Bay, Ontario, and defensive bases along the Canadian border in Montana, Michigan and Maine, as records show.
On the radar
Observations, both visually and using radar, in the North Bay were described by Dr. Bruce McIntosh of the National Research Council's Herzberg Institute for Astrophysics in Ottawa.
All observations were recorded in the last days of October and the first weeks of November 1975.
In US government records, the attackers variously describe the attackers as helicopters, planes, unknown entities and brightly lit, fast-moving vehicles that hovered over nuclear weapons storage sites and evaded all pursuit attempts.
The US Air Force sent fighter jets and command aircraft into the air, which were not successful. The published records do not indicate whether the militants fired at the attackers.
McIntosh said that on the night of November 5, 1975, obvious targets were spotted on radar in North Bay-part of a chain of command centers that are on constant alert to warn of air attacks on North America.
Later that morning, the Canadian interceptors were lifted into the air while the targets remained on the radar screen. According to McIntosh, nothing was found.
US records show that during the same period, several objects were seen hovering over the weapons deployment area at the Loring Air Force Base in Maine.
Radar and visual observations were made, and a KC-135 tanker aircraft took off to monitor the pursuit from a Maine National Guard helicopter.
The object disappeared in the direction of the Canadian border, where Canadian planes were waiting on alert, as the records show.
There was no indication in the records that Canadian aircraft had spotted any ship.
McIntosh's office receives about 200 UFO reports a year from all over the country. His office of planetary sciences primarily deals with meteor observations, but the UFO file has been stored since 1962.
Lack of evidence
McIntosh says he doesn't believe in spaceships piloted by extraterrestrials "because there just isn't enough concrete evidence."
"If I were a gambler, I would not invest money in this. But there are many things that we can't explain. I would be the happiest guy in the world if he landed in my backyard. Now that would be proof."
According to US documents, two days after the incident in North Bay at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, Captain Thomas O'Brien was leaving the service as a missile launch officer when, according to him, an aircraft resembling a helicopter approached the mine.
He and his deputy heard what they thought was a helicopter propeller over the building where they were resting.
An unidentified policeman looked out of the window and saw "the silhouette of a large plane hovering at an altitude of 10 to 15 feet above the ground" and about 25 feet from the fence of the launch pad.
He reported that he saw a red and white light in front, a white light at the bottom and another one at the back.
The darkness prevented him from seeing signs or personnel on the ship, which left after about a minute of hovering.
Military crews of two other nearby launchers reported moving lights in the air that evening.
McIntosh said one explanation for what was seen on the North Bay radar was that on a clear night, the high density of layers of ice crystals in the sky could reflect radar beams to the plane above the horizon, which are usually not picked up by radars.
"I looked at the situation at the time - not very carefully, I have to admit - and I talked to the duty officer at NORAD and made sure that it was a coincidence (radar observations) and UFOs," McIntosh said.
Venus is 10 times brighter than any star at some times of the year and often seems out of place, "sticking out like a sore finger," McIntosh said.
After seeing the targets on the radar, the officer probably went outside, expecting to see something in the sky, he added.
Yesterday, Defense Department officials in Washington said that the official investigation of unidentified flying objects ended in 1969, and there are no plans to resume the study, which was codenamed Operation Blue Book.
Original news
Toronto, Ontario, STAR, 20 January 1979, pages A1 & A8
Our jets scramble after UFOs
By Joe Hall
Toronto Star
WASHINGTON - Canadian jet fighters "scrambled" at least twice in one week in an attempt to intercept unidentified flying objects, it was confirmed last night.
The incidents were revealed in previously top-secret documents released in Washington by the U.S. Air Force and the defence department. They were confirmed by a National Research Council official in Ottawa.
The U.S. and Canadian reports said the UFOs were seen near a top-secret Canadian military installation and hovering over a number of nuclear missile launch sites and bomber bases in the United States.
U.S. and Canadian military personnel reported mysterious craft visiting the North American Air Defence Command (Norad) base at North Bay, Ont., and defence bases along the Canadian border in Montana, Michigan and Maine, the records show.
On radar
The sightings, both visually and on radar, at North Bay were described by Dr. Bruce McIntosh of the National Research Council's Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Ottawa.
All the sightings were reported in the last few days of October and first few weeks of November, 1975.
The U.S. government records describe the intruders variously as helicopters, aircraft, unknown entities and brightly lighted, fast-moving vehicles that hovered over nuclear weapons storage areas and evaded all pursuit efforts.
The U.S. air force sent fighter planes and airborne command planes aloft on unsuccessful pursuit missions. The released records do not indicate whether the fighters fired on the intruders.
McIntosh said that on the night of Nov. 5, 1975, apparent targets were spotted on the radar at North Bay - part of a chain of command centres on permanent alert to warn of air attacks on North America.
Canadian interceptors were scrambled later that morning when the targets remained on the radar screen. Nothing was found, McIntosh said.
The U.S. records show that several sightings were made in the same period at Loring Air Force base in Maine of objects hovering over the weapons area.
Radar and visual sightings were made and a KC-135 tanker plane took off to oversee pursuit efforts by a helicopter from the Maine National Guard.
The object disappeared toward the Canadian border where Canadian jets were waiting on alert, the records show.
There was no indication in the records that the Canadian planes spotted any craft.
McIntosh's office gets about 200 UFO reports a year from across the country. His planetary sciences office is concerned primarily with sightings of meteors but a UFO file has been kept since 1962.
Lack of evidence
McIntosh says he is not a believer in space ships piloted by alien beings "because there is just not enough concrete evidence."
"If I were a gambling man, I would not place any money on it. But there are lots of things we cannot explain. I would be the happiest guy in the world if one landed in my backyard. Now that would be proof positive."
The U.S. records show that two days after the North Bay incident, at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, Capt. Thomas O'Brien was coming off duty as a missile launch officer when, he said, an aircraft resembling a helicopter approached the silo area.
He and his deputy heard what they thought was a helicopter rotor over the building where they were resting.
The unidentified deputy looked out the window and saw "the sihouette of a large aircraft hovering about 10 to 15 feet above the ground" and about 25 feet from the launch-area fence.
He reported seeing red and white lights on the front, a white light on the bottom and another on the rear.
Darkness prevented him from seeing markings or personnel on the craft which left after a minute or so of hovering.
Lights reported
Military crews at two other nearby launch facilities reported moving lights in the air on the same evening.
McIntosh said one explanation for whatever was spotted on the North Bay radar was that on a clear night a high density of ice crystal layers in the sky could reflect radar beams onto aircraft over the horizon, not normally picked up on radar.
"I looked at the situation at the time - not very thoroughly I must admit - and I talked to the officer on duty at NORAD and satisfied myself that it was a coincidence (the radar sightings) and the UFO," McIntosh reported.
Venus at some times in the year is 10 times brighter than any star and often seems out of place, "sticking out like a sore thumb," McIntosh said.
Having seen targets on the radar, the officer probably went outside expecting to see something in the sky, he added.
Defence department officials in Washington said yesterday that formal investigation of unidentified flying objects ended in 1969 and there are no plans to re-start the probe, which went under the code name Operation Blue Book.
Hypotheses
Investigation
Resume
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