Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States, 1948

DEClASSIFIED J YSIS OF FLYING 0BJJ£CT INCi IN THE UNITED STATES 203 ~ ·--= - ­ -- -- - ·~- -- - ~ • MEMO ROUTING SLIP NEVE., -E~PROVALS, DISAPPROVALS, -CONCURRENCES, OR SIMILAR ACTIONS 1 NAME OR TITLE INITIALS ORGANIZATION AND LOCATION DATE 2 3 4 REMARKS CIRCULATE COORDINATION FILE INFORMATION NECESSARY ACTION NOTE AND RETURN SEE ME SIGNATURE /4·~6r-F7 r/~·~ . .~£k._ w,·~ ~~~~----,;;,--.....pre,//"'-A. ~ ~- 7.7Y/ .Q~GANJZATIGN AND L8CATION TELEPHONE 5 ReplacesDAAGOFortn895,1Apr48,andAFRQ . D Ff.GERM~,.,. 9__ -_ 16-48487""' GPO D 1 vu _ Form 12, 10 Nov 47, whibb may be used. --. t..trasucm nr1JIS10:1 srurn: OI/USAF-'Ol-0:} •• , !ll!¾1S:: or,, rtm•o oa.Bar nicnr~:ij;s n1 THE u.s. 20) 10 nccembc,r 1948 J:1T.Sr~IµUl'IC l Air r.ntel eq Ulv land 3 Air E1tio3~B ODI 2 • 4 A1r Intel DiV . 3- • . • ' ot fl.TI:na l) t ct1da mrra 1. To e:P:uune ttom or tnctico or ~Flying SAucnr:.U (ht'1'Gimftar roforre;l to oo .tl.ylnJ objeota) and to devolop oonclum,ona aa to thi JX)Cllib1.llty of eximnca. JU,crs A~ DISCUSSIO.i 2 .. . A dotnUed di:ccwmion of inforoatio:l f.)~ on 'the F,Oblc a.c =t forth above 10 otttiched. WJ Ap::, n<li.x rAo. Tho rm.n pointo oottib­ liuhed thereiJ:l nra au=nrl~od bol<m. 3. 'l'ha f'r4qu 07 or reported :tnc1d:mtn, tho oinilarity !i.t mny o! t..~ elmractoti.ctice1 nttrib"i1t«l to -th:, obue:nrcd object nntl tho qunlj.ty - a.r obtiorv rs comdderod ,aa 'O halo, aupport th cont,ntio.11 t~t co t~ or flyiriG objmct ma b:lan obaorwd. A!)!Jroxit!.n.tol_y 210 itwi<Wntlil lmv-s been ,:,.oportod. AnonB the obsorvarc r porting on auch incidantu • nra tr.:iinad and cxp,rienoed u.s. ll'eather nur~u ~ nnel., USAF rated ~accn, •~<.l!lced CiViliOJl piloto, toobnicuuts cumociatea m.th vat""lO>JD resoarch p.rojcsctc and techhid.nn• emplo d by ~oiol nir­ l1ne•• 4• Th• po■s1b1l1ty t •t reported ob nation ot flJ1ng object■ overt e u.s. r~ 1nn,umced by previcma lli(l21t1ne or lOidentut d in nurop , rt1culnrl7 over "caDllinavia :1n 1946, and tl t t. oblervara raoortit'lJl ~ in'.!ldents bavc, int rafted in b­ nin 1 _tXlbl.1.eity t.!J.V Cl C • - 1-", t.ho pOS•lb'i 11 ti.ea itlprobabl.e lecttd report• CWl II t C from u.5. ex­ adl.n ' strmtion• or t ~ ba.llooo■ u., • 11 tMd "1'Vttr • ai Ud stran .-,o • a: cl ano 11" ,arver 1 11 tt1 1Llilil.sr o ;j ct ~ ne ocoolicm. \'bD laat obi,a~tion at \oidcnt1tiod ol>,,1eot,s wao 1n Al)rl.l.. . 194?• 0\ all tour ocoaaiono too tbcJi' Uoon and tl uninantifi-1 objcota wen !rt v1'n thr-<mgb thi tbeodolito. Thoco obotnat.1.ona at. Rio~d nurcau occ~ •w.ntl 1:10ntha before i,.iblloity on tbiJ tl11nc ~aera a peared in • u.s. nG'Jfopap;r. s. Deecrl.ptiQ.'1\1 ot the tly:ln objoote till into thN• CnntiB\ir&... tion cutagorioa, (l) diak-ahapcd {2) rou · cl~b:lpc,d (3) balls ct fJN,. -~lo/,Ul!l conditions ot Y.i.o1b1.Uty and ditfeNUco, 1U angleo at wlloh thtt objecto may havo been v1aw d :lntroducaB a pooo1b111ty, t a o1nl9,a tYJ>l,I objc,o~ f/JAY hDv bOcn ob1orvad rtt.t.lier tl1IJ\ thr d.1.tt:•ront. ~a. Thia ~bility 11 f"llrtbcr nbatlntiate.d by tho taot that in tM 'Wbo1'W auah ob,3eota bt&fl been obeetrvod U- t4nt1o ot tho three em oaor~t1on1 io •P~tol-1 tm 'tm S.dtnt1ttcatlon of that obj a\ ®rlnot bet raadU¥ acccul)llebed on tb bii11 of inl'ormation l'epottod 01:1 oacb incidtnt. tt, 11 po1otbla tha\ obj.ct, or objoot1, 7 betm do!lorltica~ 1&111chad dm.cCNI web wetmr ballo=a, rook.9t.~ Mr ntal n.,,ttl(! ffinC aircratt, or' cele ttal phenanana, It la n•o1N11&.\'7 to obtain tnto aoti"fity to ~firm or deny t.~11 p1>anib1Uty. pendJ.na upon. With whtoh thie 7 ae<impltehld, tora1 dffloeD 1:l\111\ n con­ •1d• d Bl a po1n1D111ty. 7. 'lh8 pt.item ot •1ftit1n u detinable, 1 tin haw be t 1n t the ltatea bof'der1n Atlantic clfio at JJ.ne•• 1r1d c.t.ral 1ta • ot Ohio «nd ent\ieij. A loc&Uon of el in ;9 1e at obtd •• A paidUt o "• . den • s., not; qo 1.ri&bla. (1) ru reportod flying objecto, particularly those described ae disk~ and rough oi~r _aha~a. (Seo Append1eea "C11 and nn11.) Among those which Jiave been operational in recent yeara are the XF5U-l ("Flying Flapjack") . developed by Obance-Vaugb:tt, tM Northrup B-35, and the turbo-jet powered Northrup YB-49• Tb& ~osent exiatence of any privately developed fiying­ wing type aircraft baa not been determined but one ouch aircraft, the . I Aru.p taille$8 monoplane, was operational at south Bend, lndiana, prior to 1935. {2) Objects are fore:i."1, snd it ao, it would aeem most logi­ cal to consider that they are from a Soviet eouree. The Sovieto posoese • l, ' ' " intormtion on a number of Oenian ni,.ng-1iringt1P9 aircraft such aa the G>tha P60A, Junkers EF 1~ long-range, high-speed j~t bomber and the Horten 229 twin-jet fighter, -whioh p-:irticularly reaablea ooe ot the descr1pt1ona of unidentified flying objects (See Appendix 11011). As early aa 1924 Tncheran01rt1k7 devoloped a "Parabola" airorart, an all wing de&ilJl, which wno the outcoms of oonm.darabls Soviet experimentation with gliderD or the oame general. form. SOYiet aircraft baf!led on ouch deaigna m.1.ght bave speeds approaching trnnsonio •peeda attributsd to aome flying object ■ or greater overall performance assuming the succ&as.ful developxnent at eome unueual propulaion d~ce aaeh aa atomic energy engine. 9. That tb9 Soviet■ have a current interest 1n flyinc•'Wing type •iroraft 1• auggeated by their utilization of nr. OuS1ther BOolc who, at the end ot world rrar n, •• 1n charge ot the nyJ.ng-wtng progru in Germany' (see Appendix ttA", ~•graph 3, page 4). Aobievementa aat1•­ taotory to tbs u.s.s.R. are indirectly indicated by the pereooal recog­ nition h• 1• report.ed to be NoetTing in the u.s.s.n. Recently it ha11 been repoi-ted tt»t the u.s.s.R. 1• planning to build a n ..t of 1,800 - Horten flying-Wing aircraft. Informati(m of low evaluation baa baon reoeind etatintr t!nt a regl.lns.nt ot jet m.ght .tishtere, Hod•l Ilorten XIII, 11 at Kumm:f kha, an air base two miles t1outl'Pfea\ of Iiokutak. Kurm;ti kha. is identified as one of a number of airfields for the pro­ - tection ot an atomic energy plant at Irkutsk. The Horten XllI as developed by Oermny ,ms o. glider. 10. Assu.idng that the objects might t,ventually be identifiod as forei~ or foreign-sponsored dev-lces, the possible reason for their appe,arance over the u.s. requires consideration. Several posoible ex­ planations appsnr noteworthy,, v.i.zi a. To ne~te u.s. confidence in the a.tom bomb as tho moot advanced ond decisive weapon in warfare. b. To perform photographic reconnaissance missions. c. To test u.s. air defenoeo. d. To conduct :f'ami.liari~ation £lights over u.s. territoey. OONCLUSI<llS u . Since tm .Ur r.-orce is reaponsiblo for control or the air in - the dofcnae of the u.s~, it is 1.mperativn that all other agenoies oo-­ opsratc, 1n confirming or denying the poeoibility that theae obje-,ts have a domestic or1:61n• otherwiao, if it is fir.inly indicated t.bat there 1a no d01ne1t10 explanation, tM object• are a throa~ and warrant m.ore activo etforta of identification and intorc~tion. 12. It mua-t be accepted tmt some type of fi1ina obj•ots ha'Ye been obae"11d, although their identification and origin are not diaoernabl.e. Di the intereot ot' national defense it would bj un'rfiN to overlook the po~sibility that e e ot tmee objects i:ny bs of toreia;i origin• 4 Inole1 l~ " d1X "A" - Analyaie of Flying Objeot Inoidents in tbl u.s. and Hypoth9t1oal Taotios Employed .Appendix "B• - Plot or Flying Objeo'b S1Sht,1np in the U.S. Appendix II C1' .. Selected Reports of Plying ObJeot Incident• Appl.tldb. ?tD• - FlJing lfinl Type Airoratt APPEiDIX llAlf ANALYSIS OF FLYilTG OBJECT IUCIDENTS Ilf Tlm U.S. AND HTPOTHETIOAL TAOTICS l'?iPLOXED l. Introduction. To formulate tho possible tactic• of jects reported ovor the U.S. assumes from the outGet that firm conclu­ sions have beon reached on both the exiotonce pnd origin of the r oported flying objects. The current status of information on such incidents and overall analys1o doec not cllow subotentiation for auoh concluaione. However. the lack of such firm concluaions points to the necessity for an immodiato and sound statisticnl annl7oiA of every nepect of the aituo.­ tion and doeo not proclude a concurrent examination of the reported in­ cidents to develop explanatione of their possible tactioe. The latter will be useful at oome future date ohould tho exictencea.ndoririn of the flying objocts be definitely e•tabliahed. Theroforc, tho followint; anolyais of availablo information ii advanced in order to praeent evi­ dence on the actunl exhtenoa of somo tn,e fl7ill(; object and to relate samo to tactical purposen for which the objects are pose1bly deeiEned. The foJ.lovin,:; dhcueslo.n mu.at be cone1derod a provi111onal o.nalycie, pend1n6 a further dotailod analyaio of all aspects of the problem. 2. Somn J1.1rpoota RMIU'tllM F171na ObJeot Incld~nt4. A. cureory cxaM1nat1on of evidence on reported incident ■ haa been mnde o.nd it 1• po111ble to cite certain genorAlltiee which it npp~nre MQ.1 be borne out when detailed a.nal71os ha~• been completed. Amo~ the 1noidentB reported there are m&IJ.1' otatemonta by reliable and experienced pereone which t~nd to confirll that fl7lng ob­ j~ote havo been aeon. The detcription of ouch objeot~ 1nem• to fall rou«hl7 into thre• catogor1$ ■: (1) 811••r dieke or balls. &pproxil0at1n& - a Horton will«$ tn>e aircraft; (a) Dal.le Qf fire ot Tnrlous colore and lntenei\101; (3) Ott r or p noil-shaped object, atmtl~r i~ apponronce \o V-2 type rockets in horliontal flight. ihe numbere of configurations 1 > might be further roduced wi the follow~ conoideratione i n mind: Silver disks or balls have, or the greater part, been observed in daylight nnd a number under lear weather conditions with visibility unlit1i~edt In aost instanc a. balla of fire have been oboerved at night. Oie;ar. or pencil-sh od objects have been aig~tod in fe\fer nwnbers but ~,ith about equa distribution in daylight and at nieht. A few accounts toll of ·eks havil'.l,f; u rough eigar- ahapo whon viewed vh1lo maneuvering. me of the dioka are described no having lw:ninoa1t7 in daylight. hereforo is poseible that e sin&lo type of object J11a1 be involved i cightinga. and diffo~onceo in dee­ cription n1A7 reault from vi ng tho objects at variouo ~lee and under diftoring conditiona vieib1lit1. Tho n.boTo indicate that some type object h:l.e been oeen and tho poseibil ity t tho object or obJecta aeen aro conven­ tional domestic deviceG, ru e.a we&thor balloons, test rockets, or Jet­ equ.ipped aircraft with pane or flyi~ will£ oonfigur~tiona. The nos1ibility e ate that the reportiJ:I& of f~ill8 objects may have rliar reports on similar inoidente in Soondino.via. and OllXltral Ilur The publication in newaq>npera of de­ tails on auch incidents. bo foreign and dom~atic. 1187 hove induced eo~o of the description pro ded in reported domeatic inoidenta. However, one of the enrlieot reporte 1ightiD4t~ in thou.a. wae the one obaencd by U.S. Weather Dureau per1 el in April 1947, at lliobmon,, \irginia. and on \hG baei• ot report lt appears that the diek• are not bulloonn. It vould aeem \ thin aighttng w•• not lnflueno~d by the re­ port• of forGt n 1nc1dontm, be nev~Bfer aooou.nte of domoetic lnoidente, - nor by mieldentiflcation of conTcntional object. Altho~h reported mestie 1noidonte are l.1id.oly aoetterod through­ out the u.s., fregy.ency of ,;htl:ng a.nd n'U.lllber of obeervors per sighUue; . ' 'asouoes a definable pattern." There is a large concentration of aight­ inga along the ~stern Seaboard. another large concentration throU(;h­ out the 1t'ostern Coast states, and a . few sightiru?s - '-n the Mi ddle ,1est. Distribution of incidonts by configuration of object snd description of maneuverability is approximately equal in each of theoo araaa and this i o believed to further 'substanti ate the possibility tbet one type of object mieht have been observed in different asneots of fli€ht. If sightings are induced by rumor, it seeca unusU£>1 t.lult more incidenta have not been reported from tho vreas with hi€h concentra­ t 1on of population. Reports from such areas would also hnve creater facility in channel1IJG either to newspapers or official reporting ngon­ clee. For the most part, _o1ght1J1€;s have b~en made 1n fairly onen country where there are few ro,trictione to vhibilit7, .·~-hich may indicate that . obstructod vision hn.o reduced oightingo in bu11,-up aroas. It thorofore Geems th.at aome type of flying objoct has been ob­ served; tho identification of ita origin requires tho co~!pletion of other 3. Eoaa1blo Or1«1~ of UnuoU4l J'lrlns Objnpt1& Provided, upon the completion of annlyaeB, it 1c inrlicated that nome or nll of the reported flyill8 objects over the U.S. nro of foreign or1&in, the objectc could from a logical viewpoint, be couaidered Soviet. It is evident from the perforaance character1et1oe attributed to the un1dnntified objectn at thiu time that 1f they are foreign, the1 involve efficiencies of por­ formanoe which hnve not been ro&liz•d in nn~ op~rat1ollt\l airborne de­ vice in thie country. It would, therefo•e, be o. rnietake to analyae the technical n,weets of the situation within th• limtt, of our cwn knowl­ edge of p~actinnl dcvelopmentn. It is more deeirable to consider then the 0\1ter llmiti, of poealble Soviet develop11entfl and objecti1.ve11 in nt• tEJmptlng to !c,rmul&.te aom idea of the tectic" whioh might be involved. of all, the objectiveG of ihe u.s.s.R. ha.ve - been st tod many times and indicatod in many f orms, The most clear­ cut statement of this obJoctive is prob bl7 the one contained in the prea ble to the ourth five-year Plan (1946-1950) which states that the objective of Soviet science ie to overt ke and surp an the seienti­ .fio and technical development ,of the ca 1tali t nat1ona~ It appar ntly .would be· n imnosoible tosk for the Goviet Union to ocoopliah such an .objoctive by proce ding st~- by- atep lone; the same lines of develop­ ment already achieved in the capitalist tione. This would menn that it would b-e ne oossary to rapidly proceed through en.ch phase of aero­ n utic I development that bae lr aa,- been accomplished in thia country, and this ~robably would never have any pro pecto of ace ler ti Soviet dev lop­ ment b yond any point re ched by the U. S. Th obviou an wer to coom­ plioh their objoct1v of not onl7 overt kin , but surpassing the capitalist oountrioa would b a sci nt1f1c shortcut. Thi poe 1b1lity 1 not so r ­ mote when examined on the b aio of our knowl dge of th curr nt ituation in th U. S. S.R. Provi~ d Soviot eophasis was ·iven to the mot promieing and dvaneed idea ncquir d fro Ge ny in 1945 and th work aided by Germ n aoientiote, the po e1b111t7 of catchi ~ and pooaibly Ul'p ssin other n tion int ohnic 1 dev lopment, b comes mor re 11at1c. It be­ comes ev n oor re 11 tio if th Soviet hav shown t ndency to ooncen­ tr te on cort in d8velopm nte whioh have still not reoe1v d llaltimum of priority in our own progr • It is know that the u~ .s.R. hae sine 1946 enli ted the Ir- vie of Vr . nther oc, German who head d all develop nt of low Uo (flyin wi ) t aircraft in Ge Y'• Dr. ook: 111 bulteved to b th op ci ntie in cl re t !' I.AM whio re "1r h 7urth r, 1 1• oc e fr fly­ 1 t airer f 0 he vi t • • co ld rd 4 • . the Germans o.nd possibly - flyi ng wing ty-pa aircraft w se confi[;Uration would be sinilor to des~ cr1r tions of cortain r eported flyinc ovor the U. S. The eati­ mated q,eeds of such range of the lower limits of - speed attributed to flyin,e o jecta over the U. S. It ia not 1I!Jposs1ble ~ . that emphaois on surpas~ll'lo oroii;n developments haa led to unuoual pro­ gres& in fucloandpropulaio by the u.s.s.R. In connection with pos­ a1ble advancemento in the fi ld of fuelo and propuloion. 1t:shou.ld be observed that tho Russian o oituation (regardless of eotimated oil reaorvor,) io quite differont from t~t in the U. s. i"or e~le, u.s. oil industry is preparod to urn out tremendous qunntit1ea of hi~hly fractionotod petroleum pro tq, while the u.~.s.R. cannot reasonebly approach ouch c~pab111tiee. Thie consideration dictates d1f!orent solu­ tions on fuel~ for propuls1o 1n the two countrieo and 1n turn, dictnte1 - the direction taken in dev~~ omont of jat motors or the U88 of other pro­ puloiv& dovicoa. We must tl rcfora. arrive .at the concluoion that any- Soviet aevice which mar have made ite s~penranoe over the u.s. as des­ cribed, would possaeo unusUR performance charaot~ristioa ~hioli, in all probability, would include renge. The poo1ibilit7 th~t they could ' unconventional aircraft moy ~ve been flown ov~r tho U.S. tor ono, all, or a oombinntion of the followi g reasons: ha•• b~eu used in• propB&&nda eonao. it would be r easonable to assum thnt the Goviete would mooee ttret to fri«hten pro-Aoler:l.oan no.tton in .filu.rope with the ap_p•aranoe of a rnd.1.ooll;y 5 aligru:ient of these nations be observod at an increaoine rote over the u. s. pean nations and the u.s. b~ tho appearance of a new foilure to i dentify such a . S. dovelopm to characterize the&e incid tn entirely_ . , nev we~pon to counteract abilit~ of the U. S. t o obtain full propaganda effectivenees with the atom It will be remeI!l'berad t hat strange objects first appeared over he Scandinavian coUhtriee in 1946. The ob­ jects observed there had unu ual range and unusual performance oharacteris­ tics. As this demonstration over tho Scandinavian countries occurred tho U. S. was making a v1goro s campaign for t he economic and political th other pro~merican ieatern ~uropean na­ tions. \?hen subsidod, strange flyine; objPcts bocan to The conclusion on this point is that flyill(; object may h~ve been used to frighten both Euro- device, and thnt object would give them invaluable in­ dication that U i s far behind that of tho Soviets. Except for thi1J i e believed that the uce of tho objects to promoto fear hleaa 1n that the U. S. public has tended an ho.llucinationE1 by ''crack pote11 , misldentific~t1on of convent onal objecta, or that they repres~nt a secret American project not be publici~ed. Any fear that micht re­ ault from Soviet e only b~ a discovery that the objects h4ve been Soviet aircraft and t they involve radical developmanta which ore 1n advance of our objeot~ for the cellecticn ~hotograph1o intGlligence or the mappil'IB of certain aren1 in the U.S The evaaive action emplo7ed by all objocta •16hted an attempt to avoid bei!l€ aightod. na an ~ttcmpt to prevent d11clo1u of the ex&ct t;vpe of fl1ing crmtt and it• miaeion. !rhe ~l~ht1nc of o eets over the U.S. ru o ~een most intense 1A • Eaetorn and Westorn Coa~t ln addition, Jightitl&• of flying ooJeote 6 J have been made near Oak Ridge, Tenn.; :Uo.s Cruces. n, H. , and in the ·- general area of the Hanford Works in' Orogon_. Gonernlly, aightinis have not been made over what we consider strategic industrial arooe. The reason for thia mi~ht be either thnt the flying_objecto have boen ob­ served only enroute to or from misoiono over tbeGe.oore concentrated strategic arena, or that the Soviets obtained sufficient information . during thoir World War II liaioon with u.s. industry to natiafy tho1r intelligence reQuirements and have a more active requir~~ent for in~oroa­ tion on industrioe and area~ which were not available to the~ during World Uar It contacts. This 12 of inter~st in connection with the sightinca near Oak Ridge, LaG Cruces, and in tha general area of the Hanford Works nince theee eetabliohmnnts wrenot, end ara not, acocsaibl~ to Soviet collectoro of photo~raphic intelli -~onco. lt is poffolblo thnt the use of 5oviot f1Yill6 objects over the U. S. io int~ndcd oni,- to dotormine the ability of the U.3. defenses to npot ioreign aircraft. Thie would be of extreme laportanoe to the U.G.S.R. in tho event that a one-way all-out attack of Soviet atre.te­ g1o bombers 1o plcnned. Ability to operQto oYer the U.S. unin'W.bitod at a time when the u.s. is suppoced.17 ro-a1'1i21ng and puttin« greBt atrea1 on defenaee would provide yaluable informatiott on which to base e1tlmate1 for probnbilit7 of suocftoe in bombing stratoeic obJectiTe1 1n the U. S. d. Ew;l1l111rbetiop Zl,ittht1....2If'I£ U.8. T0n:1to;a. This poaolbl~ reacon le ptrbnp$ the mott improbable. lt ie aooumod thnt, ohould thie 1;1urpooo bo involved, other purposori are prob bl1 nl~o ccoolllpllahed ln ite execution. Frov1dcd the u.n.s.n. het - unUoutilly hlsh pl!rformnnee a1rcreft they ~1{:ht find it ~dv.ontaeeoue to famllit1rhe the11eo).Toe '11th the tol)o,;ro.pbf of the C'.8. in anticipation ot futuro combat mi~aione to ~tratee1o tarcote• .., • I • 5. Concluaioa. !he conclusion thot some tYPe of flying object has been observed ovor the U.S. seems to be substantiated. It is not known at this time whether these obae:r"V'at1ono are mioidontifieations of do~estically launched devices, natural phenomenn, or foreien un­ conventional aircraft. It is, therefore, impossible to noke any re­ liable oxplanation for their ar,pearanco over the U~S• or the tact1cB which they may- employ 1f the objects oboerved includo any foreign developmente in aeronautical fields. It is likewise i.Jp.possible at this time to contain diecuesiona of posoi~le perfornance charaotoristice or tactics within limits of practical reason, if for no other reason than the faot that proof of the existence of a foreign development of ,.. i. this tn>e would neoesearily introduce considerations of new principals D.nd means not ¥et conoidercd practical poeaibilitiee in our own re­ eeorch and devol0pment. 8 • ..........._.... • r iol's - ''Oll ·h •~::ur sh19e ♦ '1.111 o" Fir., 41 nO"'· n: '•'it'" Co"l~i~:1ti<m •·nct,-;te ·ni.n~q.. All llGVN ; i t1 fJ) M rJ I H ~ Sc en 0 ""J a • ~ r., 0 ~ 1111 ij r.o 1J APPENDIX II011 SEIEC.CED REPORTS (I!' FLYnrn OBJECT INCIDENTS A nunber ot reports on unidentified fly;l.ng objects come trom observer• fflio, beonuas o! their teobnioal background and experience do not appear to be infiuenoed by unfounded senaationallam nor ino,linod to report explahable phena1uma as new types 0£ airborne devices. Some of . the detailB of their reports are presented in this appendix~ slang with those from posDibly le3s reliable sources who have reported evidence which is of such a nature that it cannot be entirely ignored. > 2. Descriptions ot Bifi'}liticant :inoidente, arranged ohronologically, , follow.a a. During April 1947, two employeea ot tbs wentber Bureau Statioa at Richmond, Virginia reported aee1ng a stranee metallic diak cm three ooc&aion• through the "tbeodolite while_. making PIBAL observa­ t.ion•• One observation was at 15,000 feet when a disk waa followed for 15 seconds. The diak appeared metallic, ■baped 10tt10thing liko an ellip1e with a flat bottaa and a ro\ll'ld top. It appeared balcnY the balloon and waa much larger in Bise. The di ■k appeared to be moving rather rapidly, altboue)l it waa impouaible to eatimate its apsed. The otb!tr obaervationa ""'"' Jllllda at 27,000 t eet :in like manner. b. The tollorin1 lit0Xlth, Byron B. Savage, a f ield engl.noer f or :""Hiii!\rt1.n , iWl>oned a diak tlying near hiu homo in eot no thought to be at an alt itude eet, and waa novinR toward t he north feet on a courM of ))0 d•~os, , Nevada, an .ill' force lieutenant r~ oiroular object , in cloea tormat1on auia_. t Yelin at an etimated •P d of 28S mil•• pol' hour. Thi• ei6ht1ng occurred on~ June 1947. d. Tll day a party of thi-ee, t,To of' tliem soicmtinta, re motJiAg a llllr"l!ll~ .... ~-•"• Sand, Ile l!exico,' V-2 lC • 9# • .~_,.-:~ !ir_Jng gr!>undo a., ropor ~ s or sphere moVin8 horJ.­ 12;anto~a Q! o an or 10,000 f t " ~ .... ¥ .. r mis ot uni:for::i aQ!ipc Md hld no protru • G o coo such as mngo. Th~ object r.ns in sight tor about 60 tieconds ooforo it dis.a.ppJared to the nortbe.:icrt. Tho tbro observe1·a acreod on tho dotl1lo of the uightini.; except that cne thought bO hld aoan vapor trails. e. On 7 July 1947, five Portland, Orecc,n police o.fficerc re­ port d vnryinc n\lmb::1•0 o.r dioka flying over dif£cr&nt port:;; o! tho city. All obs8rvations \T.lre m.,.dc '1ithin a mnute or trro of 1305 houra. t . on the Oam!) da1, William Rhonda or Pho nix., Arizona al­ ltJgedly enw a diok ctrolinn his locality .during ounoet form. Tl»ec photoc;rapho - mv been • cx1io:trietf' iJ:llf'!lS nnd do not op~nr to be io rtect,1on in the :ul.oion or irl~­ .feotiono in the lenc. (SaG F1go. 1, 2, 3, and 4.) ootar AL 'rll">TJMAPHS DY m. ntl )(\n~ n.c. 4 n.' 0\ 10 Ju1:r 1947, r. OOC'.lrutt. a Fllll""ft'JIID oan iltr'llaJa •ohlnle r.pc,rted • ot:roular 6bj4tc\ tl11n1 a, hi wlooi\7, pu-alltlln1 t.be tlllr'th'• .urn.ca d 1e&nn1 at-nil 1oh appeaftd •• a "tiarnln up" ot \be •load bal!'llll'Nd. nlff "8.rianrl Fltld~ MtfCDldlan4. NO O\tiv pwam• alao NW ob ~••n!nel s.n bl •kJ' ~ r allau\ an \o&ftpbl4 bJat \bal' A~• flw N,\11.\inl lo-­ Of.i'lbl ana~r\ • oodfutr•• obelM'lt.1.on u tar •• '111 •kr eliaft ll aerao..-n-4. ( • 1sa., 81\d •> . _;::.,-­ . . G . . .. ,., . . . I ... . / / . ' J.. 4 A t l9A7a tt tlltlr .uc,-tt,. Thi• 4Ui Cr, I 111d thn7 turned to fJlTe clmae. The '00-3 • tl)1ng at; 170 IIPll, t d1a 11.ew GU\ ot cd.{tll in .!tour as.rm: •• l• Cb 12 '~ 191.1, t1y1nrz dl•a \rolling 3•t;..lln -~.-u of 'fire • -re np0rtea_1J n lto4 frClll brld or h ~r Ttconduor,a, aoaonU.na to tht no«td orttcor. f 1'10 _clffO WlllJ 20 mtleo otf t.lw tdeb:t; 4S IJDCCXlWI, ~B a\ • ·~ ..ur:atcd at '700-900 t; cm-vins in a la, , low uo. ~ 01 "I d&l'Nf1'1 l9J.81 • ;aUo:uil GdlU'd pUot I ldllad Jdiile at,ttlqp11.inG to ohan an Qi1denW'~4"1 objoct ~ to ~,ooo :en. 'ffld.l.• it ia Pl'Oiln4 tbat thi1 pilot slittcm anO;d.a1 NIU,ltlJlu in h1e Cl'llih, ht.a laat lle8Glllfl to th• tower' wao, ntt •P9.t!U'8 to bo ~ta.W.o ob.1,octefl•• f4 ~doua nae.... d1notl,f ahead and lll.1~i,- •'bow••.... I e::i t1;ty1pg to oloae ~or • bettor l~.,. , , . ~ca laboratory Sect.ion,. atson J.ibaratol"5.eo. r.. J., ~ . . ~ A r'OWld, !nd1otinct object 1n -ttn .,,_m.nS.ty o.t Hollmn Air ~ . l)la,ro co. I\ WU VtJ%7 hi~ .and t'aat1 and •~ to uooute . . violtnt llllll'USUYOX'~ at b1r;b ~- fbe object ... under- Obllll'V't\tlon tor •and ~m,eal"Od. •• A~ "' t, Lt. t - • • ~ 1 a a speed ot p Alt.l,tudo ot 4SOf> t• ,. lltbw n I • 1'H' 1an n,111 1n exoea or an eatJJaltea 500 •• na110t11d1n& .tNII ao ~..t1nn-, r7 r, p.'1413 mtd.1 out ot at~. o. 17 -~ 1943, • ropon ~ ltinland AU- ore• 1~ ot 20, ' feet abcm, varied ~ bJlt to "L" to eu-oi. att.ar ~B . por trill. It t.~ repo~d alUtws. 1• oon-eot, th• ~ ted a, l,00 a1le1s po,. hour, aocaniins to th• ZoOpOrt. P.• othar aichWi oI lisbt. apd tr.u., Mnor thRo d1~ 2a l) Npor\ctd, ViJst (l.) n112 a~l»r l.947, tm pilot and ~ot or a Pei Atmrican aircraft., en. rout9 fro. US.dway o ncnolulu, u:11' a bl~to li~i; ll);>rcCf,Oblrifb cllrlntJ.nB to tw.l.n ted.d.11b fil.t1WS upon mthdmtial. , tlte ~ed ot i~ l.ki,.ij at about 1,000 ~ots. \Ct1 25 Juno l ey.· •ear 'for tm ~. r. lX\.:'JY· ar«ktioh . • unt in • a z Clt7. Mont •• '1h11 glovtnc ll&bt 1118.do o •ouna, trav•l•4 abou\ tvloo, oped of n oonventloJ:ld alroreft o.nd tlev troa nortll to eouth no•eral tltl • tn a v1de arc, finallT d.i ■ app•ai-1-ng o-.or th• horlson. Cl• nu-1.ng th• earl7110rnln& of 25 lul11948, \vo atern .Ui-111101 pt.lot• roporte4 ba'flng ••cm a huBe fl71Dtt craft ■ 11atlu to • Y-a ~••s their alrornft in fll~ht. (S•e Jtge.? an4 8.) fho a,te.cho4 4ra"tn&a made b7 thee• two ob1enor■ Tel''f olo•el.7 reauble ~ tl71n,r ob­ Ject !'OJ)Orto4 to ha•o bocn uacn ou 20Jul71948• b7 A. D. Ottor, chiot inToati$ator of Oourt ot ~• lnquir7, and h1• dauahter v.t Arnhall, Heth~rlanla. !bl• obJec~ npp••red \o bft a v1nclo•• a1rcrat\ haT1JtC tvo decks. Th• craft, oSChted four Umea throuah •ca\tered cloud,:' and tm­ 11■ 1ted -Ylalb1Ut1. vaa tro"folin6 at .htch oed at a high altitude, J. aound. elmilar to that m:i.cta b7 a. V- 2 waa reported. r. M object, ■ ltlil11r in t'!htq:,• to tile one in tho proced1Jl8 incident v11• rCJ.Poned 01 an expnrleneed .American novlJ)B.yer reporter about 25 Jd.lometers northeaet ot Koccov on 3 Augutt 1948. /.. &ca1an - acquaintanoo identified 1t ae a rigid airahip btlt th~ reporter dtaagr•o• becauae lt tlev at a high, but not exce11lve speed. : . Oil l October 1948 nt o:;,:prox1mte11 2030 hours tho :pilot ot a r-51 aircraf't, 2nd '.Lt. George F. C-orman (Worth lalcota Air DaUonal Ouard), tlY1D4 near nr401 Uorth Dakota. a1pted on 1ntemltteDt vh1to lipt about 3,000 taet below hie 4600 1'eot eruloint; o.ltUude. 'l'he , pilot ruroued the 11€ht which aFpoared to then tako evaaive tActlcs. !he objoet or light out-tu.rned; out-apoeded, and out-climbed the J'-51 in e-.cr7 inatonce cluring the attempt to intercept. 'l'he pilot loot;· contect i!f/ ninutes aft er the initial e~hting. The Mme l1«bt waa observed by three other witnosces tro~ the ground, Kr. L. D. Jensen, 41r iraf!ic Oontrollor~ Mr. ~nnuel ~- Jo~110n. Aenista.o.t ~r~fflc Con­ troller. and _'Dr. t . n. Cannon •. Oceuliet. : A coJl!)ari1on of all testlt!ol\1' . 9 NYealed that one obJeot wa• •lgbt•d and t~t lt on1l1ted onl7 ot • al'l round ball of clep vbttc, lltbt vlth :no ttp •nt ehap• attach• • 11 vaD abQut 8 to B inch•• in dill!le\er. At ttae 1t trawled foator than the -61 and pertomod tilll8U'Ver■ ln nn eTnd " mannor. tillon flr11' 1ighted the ball of llght ns traveltn« •' ,Ill ftt mated 250 atloaper hour. der thie eontlitton, the light val uo\ tlnuous ut blinked o:tt and on. At h~h p•~to!'IIQDee the whUo li(!ht • contluuoua. itub­ ••4'16nt tnYegt1gatlon •lbtln~ted the ,o ai~llity h~t \ht• illclden, IDA7 hsv been l!llother aircraft or n mot•oroloalcr b:Slloon. , • . On 18 Xoftllbor 1948 ct 03>Proximatftl ~145 houri. throe ff• ne"e pilot ■, 21:1.d Lt. Xouwocl u. Jnok11on, 2D.d Lt. Glen L. Stalker. and 2nd Lt. Henrr o. Comba, flrin« noar .Anu.rm11 Flel ,,~r,rltllld, encountered. aa untdentlf1able n11~ obJect. \'!hen od, it 11ppoared to be ltr,hte4 and flyi~ 3.t About 1700 fe•t. !l'hroe or our pAuea verc, med• 1D au cttc:ipt to tdentt~T tt. 9he pilot ot tho rcratt Dtatnd th.Qt vh11• dlvln~ h1• aircr4ft at u_pproxillt\tol7 240 ai co per hour, tho object vould cU·r:tb Tftrtice.117 end then "°ul4 dro below tho .aircraft from behind and continue to circle. On tho lo.nt ~~a. tho l!lnclhls lit;ht vae ,witched on and momontnr117 ~ dull srA7 clov rom tho object wan ob­ •!erved. Lt. Comb1 •tate4 ho Daint~inod eont~et £ r a'bout ten minut•~ -vith tne o~ject flying between the lls}lte of ~es naton, D. C. and hi« aircraft. All that could. be obr.orved wa1 nn obl o r; l:l~l with one light, no vine• and no e.xhauat nlJl'!te. It finall7 madt, .a vor-j tight turn and headed toaard tho eae~ coa1t ~t Oll 'oatimatwd 500 o 600 mile~ per hour. A~ tho 11ane t1110 Sta.t't Sorceant John J . lunbner o •encd from tho g~o'lllld an unusual oojeot in tho ir ovC!r :Andr"8t1t1 ield. H" ctatea that it van not v~r, high arul th~t it d1d not look 11 &n,aircra:.ft. 3. Rcl_?orts of r~d31" 1ntorcopt# _point vhic~ 1:1.~7 08 rclnted .to tl7ing ~bjeeta. , ' ;.. '-, .... .... A .~ ~ lrY-ft~. ~Yl. I ~ I I '(I -~~=···#~: ,,. <{ 'tl • 0!JENTIAl , . .., ', ,. . . '-\." •' .. ·" .. .: • I If !S - 'I ·" ... < .... . .•.. .. . .. . . ~~ ? ~ ,:..-: • I • :. ., t ~q':IENTIAl 1l •• en l lul-7 1,g47, a O A !'ad.Ar al kkaido. I &11 piclted ui, en ti.entttle4 tarcet a\ 1G llilH, vUh a ••d 1n excoaa ot tol ll. Thie tarp\ swllt Into two tar~t•• ach eatlmat d to t an a l?-01. b. 0J.1 1.G Bepteaber lfM?. on MDf radar at i'ukuolra. lapllll, plclmd up a tar •t nt 89 11lle• and trallod it to 19 ml••• wo~ :lt . tadou. eod va• 840-900 ~b. iho wpoed ,monaur~en\, ot1de 1>1 auod crcv thrQ\IGh n 70-milo tr~ek, is believed o.cClll'ate. 4. InToaU at1ou, conducted b7 Hea4qunrtoro. Air Mc~~riol Com­ man4. havo tlotinitel7 e1tablinhe4 the \dont1fioat1on ot 18 ot cpprorl­ matei, .a10 cs-o-callecl fl.Jlng aoucc:ir• which ?ui.-vo been reported. ~rozl­ matel.7 nine por cent of the total ~Wlbcr ot 1no1dentu •re, ther•fo:re, elbainatad fro~ turth•r opeci!ic cona1derntton. Aaona thooo incldenta poa1t1v•l1 axplnlned, \hNo were houea, tvo 1oro trom wirol1~blo ~1t­ ne1ne1. In \he roJDaining 1~ cl1mlnato4 1neldenti, objcetc yore actually 11een lnit il1TeeUgut1on ha• oho-.,n that tl1G7 were cele1tial bol11eo or phonomona. moteorologlcal and eamiTal balloon•• and airborne c:oamic rq expei-luental equipment. Tho following etxallple!> arc preaent$d for eom­ pariaon of the inforr.w.tion re_porbed b7 vitncneeo and truo idantifieation of tha obJect 1nvolvod: . o. On 22 .Tuly 1918• Cai>ta1n Roney Olovor {01•dnanco .lloaarvo) a.nd his ~ifo oboer:v•d at fan Ifuira, Colifomia 1 an object vhi~ the7 vere unnble to pooit1vel7 1dent1t7: ObJect nt first appeared to be round and looked like ~~nthor balloon ~t.~~out 2 ,000 foet but there ' • "' vao no ehnracter1stic bobbing. '?ho wind vaa blowi~ on the crounrl bu.t . ' the object \f:ln quite ctea'1,y. 0\11"in.; the time it vaa under ob~~rvat1ont about an hour, it tr~velod throoah ·a vertical arc of ~bout t~ent7-f1To· . . Tho observor conelud~d that it vus not a celectiol . . • . . ... . duok and ceased to be illuminated , .. ' bo~. - It had e b1uio.h lUDine~ccru,o and aa tho sun ~et, the objeot•e . . . . color groduall7 ohtui~ed to al a\ i ,tant eou•l7. outline va ■ clear and the l r wa■ clear wl\h 'Yl ■ lbtllty 'Wllla1ted. fhe obJ•c\ tru 1•4 from t e • st to he !his o J•ot ~o• deteraalu4 07 inYo■ tt,:ation to hav beano lloon b. Ob 19 Aucuet 1948. al approx1aat•l1 1050 houra an un1den.t1­ fted t~ obJect was vletble fro• the croun6 nt Co~n. Air tore• ,e. Itentuelq. lo object va1 e1tiaat~d to be al about 30,000 to 40.ooo ~o•t nltl\u •• ~erlcnl in ahnpa, brl~ht ■ilYer color and eaY• a brlCh\ re~lcct1on fro• the eun. An F-51 wae d119pa,ched frog St•ndlford Atr 7orce Daoe. Ientuo)q, to obtervo tho obJect. llw-1.na ob1enation from tho cro'AD4, thero v~s no chr::wa• ln the elevation of tho obJect and it aeccd to be 11ovlgg aoutbweot fror:i Oodman Alr t"orce llaae. ~o Ji'-51 vhleh a• fiying ov~r Oodlrlen AiB nt an elt1tu.4e ot 30,000 to 35.oon - te•t reported that lt we wiable to locate tho obJcot nltho~h 1, ~a• otlll viaiblo from tho ,:round with the naked •1•• l111luth and eleva­ tion rco.d1v.1t wero taken. bf theodolite ever¥ ,nnut• end tho path of the obJoct vai chartod. fhe object was dt:lterminod to· be the planot Yonus bf Kr. Mooro. the head astronom~r at tho Un1TGr•it7 0£ Louisvillo, t.ouinille. Ken­ . tucq. It i D belic,ved that earlier incident:, at God.man :iiold (reference paras.mph 2k, pnp 6, :PPendix C) ~ ,:i:q also have oeen ob ■ er-rotloD.c of -th8 ;plmlet Ventto. 5. Aaong tboee inciden.tn '1till not po_aitivel.7 explained, reported obeel"'fat1ons differ to eome extent. but three--general categories ot . . ctehtin,ge emerae -- the fl71J18 diek.• the 'ball of fire ®d the _larce. Jet roekot. Intere~ttntt obs~not1ona that were notod are: a. Moat of the obJooti ,11re a t~in diok. round on top end fl«t ~ on the bottom. · The f~ont halt ot the diek ie often circular, Clteeptnc a squore tail across the full wldtb~ • .l bl rte f liab • w11 •• arent ab111,, to tl lea• or ho••r fore on•ld•rable 1 Oated. o. oned al1e1 ye Yarle4 fro• Iba\ of• 25-cent pleoe to 260 foet ln dlaa ter. n:nd f:roa tho s11e or a pur ut, pl e to tho bulk ot •lx 29 alrpl •• a. Speeds hnY boon et1tl tod thro~out the en\1r r tro •or7 nlov or hovorlng to• ereon1c. e. undo c.ind 'Yieual trail• are not nora 117 aaao010t•d with the 1 ti • • 14 AFl?l9DlX •121t lJ,TlUG WING TJPD AtaOllAff. 1. Ae~onautlolll engineere in ceyeral. oountrtoe h~vo beon •ncaced tor ,omft tiae in tho design, construction. and flight of ~lyip,e wing t7Pe aircraft. 'l'he ,tudy of flTin& objecto require,. at leaat. a brief examination of propo1ed and exieting unconventional aircraft whole con• fi~rnttons. when seen b7 the uninitiated. could lead to report• of 1trange flying devices. A deacription of aome of the more significant typeo b~ country followe. 2• llnrmnn:y: At the end of World War II. German aircraft deeicn.ere had n'Ulllerous projects under we.7 concerning taille11 aircraft which con­ ceivl.lbly could be mistaken for "Flying Bauoors" or disc-like objoote. It is not clear Just what the Soviets are <loin£ in the way of dovelop­ 1n6 these projects but it iso,neiderod that Gorman studies on tailless, deltn-winr.. and related configurations are available to the u.s.s.R. a. Arado Night p.nd Ban WeRther J'ightor, Project I This h a 1aillosa. low-win& monoplane witll e\'fOJ)t-ba.ck ... wi~ of large root chord o.nd having a lo~. ne.rro" fuselDge. Span 60.3 feet Length 42.5 feet .. Power Plant 2 HeS Oll turbo jet units Max. Speod (sea level) 441 t1ph. Max. Speed (a9,500 feet) 503 mph. Arndo E 681-4 ,,. A hith- wing t~illess single-ceater with a single jet unit mounted in the fuselago. Ii'in ruid rudder units are mounted on the wing midway betw6en fuselage and wing tip at the trailing edge. Span 29.3 feet Leneth 18.4 feet Power Plant 1 HeS 011 turbo jet unit '· Max. Speed (eoa level) Max. Speed (service ceiling) ­ - fhia ~u• tho t1r~t of. tho P GO eerie ■ of Je• figbtera. It ion tl11DB wi~ t1P• and. eince the pilot and observer lie prone, there ie no proJeot1ng oanopT, \hua permitting ape.r\icu.luly clean ~eai~n, The jet units a.e mo'1111ted ot the rear of the oenter eeotion, one above and one below. Spd!l 40 feet en- 1n. WiQ& Area 504 aquare teat Power Pl.iint 2 l3MW 003 turbo Jet unit& Max. Speed (J3,000 feot) 598 milea per hour a. H,tngl .. P 1Q8Q This is a eingle-aeat· tighter with a ahat-ply ••~a-­ type, but having a sin&le fin and ro.d­ o tail plane. Span • 29 .a feet ~ing ar~a 218 square f9et Bo performance e~timGtes are available. Junkerg lilJI 130 Of the flfin& ving type, this project was , h1gh-epeed Jet bomber. Span 78.8 feet Wing Aren 1290 aquare f eot Power Plant 4 Hes 011 turbo Max. ~eed 620 miles -o~r ho llange 3700 oiloe . ·•, ..it. This in a tail'less mid-wing mono1>lane driven 'by- two pusher propellors with the engines contrall1 located in the win~s on. . each side of the stubby rounded fuselage. , Span 56 feet Length • 25.4 feet !tax. Spaed 455-465 miles per hour Power Plant 2 Dl3 603 reciprocating enginee g. Horten Wing . ' ~he closest resemblance to the~estimatod configuration of "Flying D!ek-s 11 1e represented by the Horte?! Wing aircraft. Work on \b.e ler\ea aao. • \wla J•' tlght•r• had pncr•u•t to •b.• tlaal •~• a\ the ead of orld Var U. lt11 prototne, a a.nea cltuw, nooe11­ tully •oar•d ... an altitude •f 1•,aoo teet •• ••i-17 •• 1938, pNTIJl&' the ,owuln••• of thl1 de1lcu. (~le•• l, 2, and 3) :rtg. l I •1, ' I I ' Fig. 2 • • • d:!:?:I~ r·mm: S~~St ~ i'J~j.7L~_s t~"i:::~::.:;~g ~]~·:;;. f i,~...i d.1i!".(; ~"; ·::lt.:i ;j::fi t:t·J r;ilo't of thi3 c~:i:t :t.: ta::, :no-sa ,1 ths t"t.-o J;)'t, un.:lt.s ,., ... t!:.io tlesign ~7:.6 !JZ'·Ovcd OS ce.:rly B.S ..~··.:.::s e~.. 1~·:i,_JI: !} ~~o·t~t~:~-~ 01-: ..t-tt} .... 1 a.-. 1-1\-9200 C:T( C: --·o,.,_.o .. Fig. 2 4 -.. _----- - C"\ tlO• t ..:: ­ .... ...... -• • • 33567 A. w,....+.,..fl ~9, fqina -wing 1 finichillg Otatr.) t ... this a1rp Jet un1 t) • Th, oorl7 1938 229., to CRED : . .c. tt • • .. ., 5 jifififl!iluiRE a. Wat metron,c Whityortb The AW 52 G, s glider, ud the AW 53, a twin-Jet ain>lane. are ~rtti1h dee1gna of tailles ■ a1raraft. !he Tertical stabilizer■ aN looated at the tlp• of the ■wept -back vine• (rte,. 4 ana 5) Data on the AW 52 appear below. Span 90 f'..t lieat h 37 feet Max. ~eed (1ea leY•l) 436 mot ■ Max. Speed (20,000 feet) 436 knot ■ Max. Speed (36,000 feet) 417 knota RaJl&e 1300 nautical mil•• Pov•r Plant 2 5ene II turbo Jet unit ■ ARMSTRONG WHITWORTH A.W.52 Experime ntal Flying-wing Aircraft (cl. No. I ◄031 6 f[?JIJ. - . . ..­ • l • . .... ~ ~ -, . . • A<327l4 A.C. Pro IT: "U o ., • • .. ., D..C.. " • • () -'• llaUt!l ltett• 8 • l'Qvbron, »-i55 Ible ia a fl71ne ving trpo aircraf, powered by four re­ o1prooat1ng engine1 and hat a wing epan ot 172 ft t nnd a lencth ot only 53 :feet. (Dee Ftg.6) ' ' • I l'l': "US. " .c. ce-VnUP,h' Airer f\, this radical de­ ■ ign promic~s the reality o h~b ond low ~eedpAr!ormance. Powered 07 two ll'- 2000-.?. enginc11, th airplane will havo a apeud ranee of from 40 to 425 miles per hour, f ' .. • • I ' j • 'b,. llgrtlu:Rn ID 49 0 Powered by eight turbo•Jftt ~nginon, thio nirplo.ne 1a the Jat..ipropelled veroion of th• Northrop Fl)'i.D(; Willg {! ~6). (Bee Big. 7) •• ♦NIP ta111111 leaoplant \hle drplaa• •• Ma \wo-,eat ■aolune with a 70 h.p. Le~lead •aa,;1u•.•• ln nao•lle•••• 1 Ia plaa fora, the vine it alaoat eemi-olrcular. All Air force fila, 1.A.eronautlcal Oddlt1e11 , 1.bow1 thi1 airplane in flight a\ South Jead, Indiana and in eoae attitude ■ appears ldenttoal to the photograph included hi ~p•adlx "0" a1 llgure 4. Al­ --· thou«h it h belieYed th.at the JJmP Muutacturinc Oo. le no longer in exl1tenoe 1 lt le poealble thilt later mod•l• of thie or 11allar U. B. ciril alroraft lllAJ' ~Te boen obeened. Span 22 toe\ L•mcth 19 feet • Power Plsat Max. l_peed l J.eBl ond ea«lne 88 Iii.le, pei- hour Three views of an Experimental Arup tailless Monoplane . • --- - I • • .1/:~ • ~ >... • - . . . -- -. - r---.~,------<lil.o- / tower~a lY· ef(&h.i t.\iri>o..~J(:}t; ;e:n~iAe.$:~ .th.l-~ a.t~lan_e'- .i.$. • th~­ J·tit-pt()jelle4·:Y~·ts'i:t:>n ·:of ·tP.e •J;i(iir~·ht~p:·tiftng·. wtn.g ..(~.3$.) c1 (~ee -_1'ig. 7) \ I • ,J • , ·, .' '' £'11Bftt1At ____ _,. __, .. __________ :,_____ NW 91410 Oocld:347~097;8 Page 46i I