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...the MOD collected 643 reports, nearly three times the 288 received in 2008.

Brits call it quits amid flurry of UFO reports

ministry-of-defence-logoBritain’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) released information today regarding UFO reports they received in 2009. The files do not include December, because according to the report they no longer record or investigate UFO sightings. However, even with December excluded, the MOD collected 643 reports, nearly three times the 288 received in 2008.

With such an increase in reports, why would the MOD shut down their investigation? According to the website that used to direct Britain citizens to the UFO hotline, it was shut down because “…in over fifty years, no UFO report has revealed any evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom.” It goes on to further state that spending resources in this area is inappropriate and “diverts MOD resources from tasks that are relevant to Defence.”

However, the reports released by the MOD today tell a different story. In May of 2009 a pilot reported a 20-30 foot “shiny black flying cylinder” that flew 200 feet above his airplane. In August a Royal Navy Air Traffic Controller reported seven silent lights that emitted an orange light. They traveled at 100 knots, and took a right hand turn. In November, an Ex-Royal Navy Commander reported seeing an orange orb moving at a “substantial” speed.

These three cases are some of the best examples of witnesses with “relevant” occupations. Other sighting reports contain more strange objects moving in ways which conventional aircraft would not.

The British government has been releasing documents for the past year. One of the reports that made the most worldwide headlines was regarding a US fighter pilot who was ordered to shoot down a UFO while he was stationed at the Manston Royal Air Force base in 1957. This report and others appear to provide evidence of a threat to British airspace. Intuitively it would seem that unidentified aircraft should be considered a potential threat until identification can be acquired. It would seem ridiculous for any agency seriously concerned with the safety of its airspace to ignore reports from its citizens.

Nick Pope (image credit: www.nickpope.net)

Nick Pope (image credit: www.nickpope.net)

Nick Pope, who worked at the MOD’s UFO desk, had this to say about the close of the hotline, “Indeed, I am sure that as is almost certainly the case in the US, sightings from pilots and uncorrelated targets tracked on radar will continue to be looked at by someone, albeit outside of a formally constituted UFO project.”

For now you can judge for yourself. Below are some of the more interesting reports released today, and links to the full report and the MOD’s UFO reporting website.

Date: 15-Feb-09
Time: 00:15
Town/Village: Winwick
Area: Warrington
Occupation (Where Relevant): Police Officer
Description: Two orange lights in the sky that hovered over the old hospital site.
The lights were not together but were stationary. They made no noise. They then moved off in a southerly direction.

Date: 03-May-09
Time: 15:50
Town/Village: Otmoor
Area: Oxfordshire
Occupation (Where Relevant): Pilot
Description: A shiny black flying cylinder, 20-30ft long at about 4700ft which was 200ft above the pilots aircraft. Although the pilot sighted the object. Air Traffic Control forwarded details to the UFO Desk.

Date: 03-May-09
Time: 21:30
Town/Village: Ammanford
Area: Dyfed
Occupation (Where Relevant): Pilot
Description: Seven orange orbs that suddenly disappeared. They were on a North-South trajectory. Witness contacted Cardiff Air Traffic Control who had nothing on radar.

Date: 02-Jul-09
Time: 22:20
Town/Village: Blackwood
Area: Gwent
Occupation (Where Relevant): Ex-test engineer for Hawker Siddley (Aircraft Company)
Description: A bright orange light seen through the tree line. It turned and cleared the tree line. The other side of the object appeared to be a large rectangle shape of fire red/orange. It was silent. The object slowly climbed in the direction of Gloucester.

Date: 04-Jul-09
Time: Not Given
Town/Village: West Grinstead
Area: West Sussex
Occupation (Where Relevant): Part-Time Pilot
Description: 12-15 objects. Not like normal fixed wing aircraft, more like bright orange lights. Moving West at indeterminate height. Objects entered cloud then turned around.

Date: 01-Aug-09
Time: 03:42
Town/Village: Preston
Area: Lancashire
Occupation (Where Relevant): Police
Description: Bright object in sky, very large.

Date: 01-Aug-09
Time: 22:57
Town/Village: Michell
Area: Coldon
Occupation (Where Relevant): Police
Description: 17 UFO’s above village. Red and green lights, no sound.

Date: 07-Aug-09
Time: 22:45
Town/Village: Newport
Area: Shropshire
Occupation (Where Relevant): Retired RAF (Royal Air Force)
Description: Two yellow lights one above the other in the sky. On arriving home five minutes later watched the lights disappear behind a narrow cloud bank.

Date: 11-Aug-09
Time: 23:00
Town/Village: Thorpe-le-Soken
Area: Essex
Occupation (Where Relevant): Amateur astronomer
Description: Saw a meteor shower which contained something he could not explain.

Date: 13-Sep-09
Time: 20:25
Town/Village: Shepton Mallet
Area: Somerset
Occupation (Where Relevant): RN (Royal Navy) Air Traffic Control
Description: Seven silent objects emitting a bright orange light. One group of three and then singles. Travelled at about 100 knots then turned right.

Date: 17-Sep-09
Time: 21:40
Town/Village: Findon Valley
Area: West Sussex
Occupation (Where Relevant): Ex-pilot
Description: Saw an extremely bright star like light in sky. Continued flying then started to climb vertically no change in speed the dimmed and disappeared to a faint light.

Date: 19-Sep-09
Time: 21:01
Town/Village: West Wickham
Area: Kent
Occupation (Where Relevant): Pilot
Description: Series of 30 or more orange lights which then disappeared after moving at speed.

Date: 27-Sep-09
Time: 20:40
Town/Village: Northolt
Area: Middlesex
Occupation (Where Relevant): RAF (Royal Air Force)
Description: Saw two UFOs. Looked like balls of fire. As they approached RAF
Northolt the fireball went out. However, the craft was still visible and was in the shape of a jelly fish dome.

Date: 07-Nov-09
Time: 21:59
Town/Village: Peterborough
Area: Cambridgeshire
Occupation (Where Relevant): Ex-RN (Royal Navy) Cdr (Commander)
Description: Orange sphere 30 degrees above eastern horizon speed substantial, no noise no normal navigation lights just eerie orange glow.

Ministry of Defence UFO Reports

Nick Pope’s website

About Alejandro Rojas

Alejandro Rojas is a radio host for Open Minds Radio, editor and contributing writer for Open Minds magazine as well as OpenMinds.tv. For several years Alejandro was the official spokesperson for the Mutual UFO Network as the Director of Public Education. As a UFO/Paranormal researcher and journalist, Alejandro has spent many hours in the field investigating phenomena up close and personal. Alejandro has been interviewed by media organizations around the world, including the largest cable and network news agencies with several appearances on Coast to Coast AM.

3 comments

  1. Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) released information today regarding UFO reports they received in 2009. The files do not include December, because according to the report they no longer record or investigate UFO sightings.

    *** i dont blame them ***

  2. I watched Nick Pope one on a documentary on the “contriversal” channel on skytv, i can’t remember what is was called but he sit’s on a setee in what looks like someone’s front room and he’s chatting to a man about different ufo stories. They brought the Roswell issue up and both of them ridiculed the story and the witnesses.He was saying there’s never been any proof for the exsistence of ufo’s or et’s. He was trying to make out that every witness in every ufo story was either deluded, lying, or there was an earthly explanation for it. The programe made me pretty angry as it was literaly debunking the whole ufo issue, now i see Pope doing the rounds at ufo conferences, and bringing books out on the issue.If you read these comments Nick, i’m sure you’ll know the programe i’m talking about so could you answer me this, why did you debunk the whole alledged Roswell incident and why were you ridiculing the issue of ufo’s and et’s.

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