Previously classified British military documents have revealed that defence intelligence officials seriously investigated UFO sightings and actively sought to acquire the mysterious technology behind them for the UK's protection.
Secret Files Reveal Serious Defence Concerns
The confidential files, now held at the National Archives in Kew, show that in the 1990s, the Ministry of Defence's Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) considered unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) a 'potential threat to the defence of the realm'. An internal memo from March 1997 argued that the volume of credible sightings suggested a 'basis in fact' and that the unknown nature of the objects was itself a security risk.
One document explicitly raised the issue of technology acquisition, noting that UAPs did not use conventional propulsion. It highlighted the infamous 'Belgian delta' wave, where thousands reported large, silent, black triangular craft between November 1989 and April 1990. These objects were confirmed by the Belgian Ministry of Defence and were described as hovering motionlessly before accelerating to supersonic speeds, easily outpacing pursuing F-16 fighter jets.
'If this represents real technology perhaps it should be acquired,' the document stated. Another briefing, marked 'Secret UK Eyes B', conceded that the British military did not possess the 'reported technology' and that determining its nature was a matter for the DIS.
Rendlesham Forest Incident 'Confirmed'
The secret papers also shed new official light on Britain's most famous UFO case: the Rendlesham Forest incident of December 1980. US Air Force personnel stationed at RAF Bentwaters and Woodbridge in Suffolk reported seeing strange lights and a craft in the forest.
The declassified file states that the Rendlesham Forest 'landing' was 'confirmed by the US unit commander and others'. Witnesses, including high-ranking officers, described a glowing, metallic triangular object. The document draws parallels with the Belgian sightings, noting that in both cases the objects displayed non-conventional propulsion, hovered, and moved at great speed.
While the files acknowledge that most UFO reports are easily explained, they stress that a small, persistent core of sightings describe capabilities 'beyond our engineering knowledge'. However, the documents also dismiss talk of extraterrestrial life as a source of 'mirth' and 'Little Green Men jokes', attributing such ideas to fringe conspiracy theorists.
Lasting Mystery and Modern Context
The revelations confirm that the highest levels of UK defence intelligence took the UAP issue seriously from a national security and technological standpoint. The files mention an informal intelligence grouping in the US and longstanding French interest in the topic.
UFO researcher Philip Mantle, former Director of Investigations for the British UFO Research Association, told Metro that while he believes 'something' happened at Rendlesham, it may not be extraterrestrial. He speculated about encounters with 'strange plasma' causing electromagnetic effects.
The documents, hidden for decades, finally provide an official glimpse into the military's secretive assessments of unexplained aerial phenomena and their determined interest in securing any revolutionary technology they might represent.
