Radar and ground observers at two English air bases track fast unknown targets, and an RAF fighter is sent up
August 13, 1956 · RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk · Sighting · Secondary sources only
Between about 10:30 pm on 13 August and 3:30 am on 14 August 1956, ground radar at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Lakenheath, both used by the US Air Force, tracked fast unidentified targets, with ground observers reporting lights. An RAF fighter was sent up and the target reportedly got behind it. The Condon study, which explained most cases, concluded that the behavior 'suggests a mechanical device of unknown origin as the most probable explanation.'
Why it matters (4/5)
A radar-visual case at US-run bases in England that the Condon study, otherwise skeptical, called likely genuine.
Caveats
The Condon report itself said conventional explanations 'cannot be entirely ruled out'. Skeptics point to false radar returns and meteors, and later research questions the timing of the RAF interceptions. This entry relies on a private site reproducing the Condon text.
Sources
- Bentwaters 1956: the Condon report's case (Patrick Gross, UFOs at close sight), context