Document · 1991
MoD file DEFE 31/180: Defence Intelligence (DI55) UFO papers, June 1991 – March 1992
Also known as DEFE 31/180, DI55 UFO file 1991-92, DEFE 31/180/1
A file of DI55, the Defence Intelligence Staff branch that looked at UFO reports for anything of defence interest, covering June 1991 to March 1992 and opened at The National Archives in March 2009. Alongside the sighting reports copied to it by the UFO desk it holds the branch's own minutes: on the Tornado crews who were overtaken over the North Sea, on the Calvine photographs, on the Cranwell “possible missile”, and on the airship that filled the desk's post in early 1992.
Source: The National Archives, DEFE 31/180/1; page numbers are those of the Archives' PDF (the March 2009 highlights guide's numbers run one higher).
Facts and claims
- documented DI55's minute of 14 August 1991 on the Tornado crews' report of 5 November 1990 says: “Clearly the incident happened, and clearly the pilots saw what they believe (with hindsight) to be a stealth aircraft.” Source: defe-31-180.pdf
- documented The imagery tasking form on the Calvine photographs (p. 55) encloses five vu-foils “of an unidentified flying object”, asks for line drawings “with size and dimension where possible”, notes it is a re-task of an original passed in September 1990 and that the original negatives “are not available”, and recommends ad hoc handling because the sensitivity of the material “suggests very special handling”. Source: defe-31-180.pdf
- documented The file also holds the UFO desk's minute of 19 February 1992 attributing a spate of London sightings of a luminous cigar with a red flashing light to an illuminated advertising airship (p. 12), and a 1991 Scottish report assessed as sounding like a meteorological phenomenon (pp. 67–69 of the Archives' numbering). Source: defe-31-180.pdf
Connected files
Organizations
- Ministry of Defence (UK) (prepared by) — Papers of DI55, the Defence Intelligence Staff branch that assessed UFO reports of possible defence interest
- The National Archives (UK) (released in) — Opened in March 2009 in the third release of MoD UFO files; our copy is the Archives' digital copy
Incidents
- RAF Tornado crews overtaken by a large unknown aircraft over the North Sea (about) — Pages 156, 164, 178 and 181: the 1991 minutes on the Tornado crews' report (DI55: “Clearly the incident happened”), the Fylingdales check and the original signal
- RAF Cranwell: a Tucano instructor and student watch a 'possible missile' climb to 25,000 feet and explode (about) — Page 148: Air Force Operations' summary logging the Tucano crew's “possible missile”
- Calvine photograph (about) — Pages 36–37: photocopies of the Calvine photographs; pages 54–56: the Defence Intelligence imagery tasking form of 1991 asking for line drawings, with “very special handling”
Documents
Mentioned in this file
- National Archives and Records Administration (Organization)
More documents
- MoD file DEFE 31/179: Defence Intelligence (DI55) UFO papers, January 1990 – June 1991
- MoD file DEFE 31/181: Defence Intelligence (DI55) UFO papers, February 1992 – April 1993
- The National Archives: guides to the Ministry of Defence UFO files (2008–2013)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 3 March 2011 (35 files)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 20 October 2008 (19 files)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 21 June 2013 (25 files)