Bentwaters–Lakenheath

Bentwaters–Lakenheath

On the evening of 13 August 1956 the GCA radar at RAF Bentwaters in England tracked targets that its operators put at up to “more than 4,000 miles per hour”. After midnight the radar centre at RAF Lakenheath tracked targets, ground observers there reported white lights, and an RAF Venom sent after one target reported it on its own radar; Lakenheath’s controllers reported that the target then began “A TAIL CHASE OF THE FRIENDLY FIGHTER”. Project Blue Book’s record card concludes “Anam. [sic] Propagation” (NAID 28966873, image 1), “On the basis of the above, and the limited data provided” (image 3). The same file says the radar and visual sightings “cannot be considered as concurrent” (image 1) and that “From the incomplete information submitted, it is impossible to make a definite determination of the sources of these sightings” (image 33).

Source document: Original public reference