Report of Unconventional Aircraft, Project 10073

This document collection details investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena conducted under Project 10073 in early 1951. The primary incident occurred on January 24, 1951, at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where Approach Control personnel observed three unidentified radar returns. These returns were described as being the size of a B-36 aircraft. Subsequent analysis by the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base suggested that these radar targets were almost certainly caused by a B-17 aircraft equipped with a radar beacon, which created electronic interference on the airport's radar scopes. The report notes that no other radar in the area could detect the targets, and the "DING BAT" F-86 fighter squadron could not be dispatched to intercept due to inclement weather. A second, separate incident occurred on January 25, 1951, in Warner Robins, Georgia. A witness, Mr. Farmer, reported seeing an oblong, non-glossy, black object at an altitude of 4,000 to 6,000 feet. He described the object as having a light that projected from the entire unit and moved in a "climbing steps" fashion. The investigation into this sighting included checks with the local weather station and air traffic control at Cochran Field, which confirmed various aircraft movements in the area at the time. Major P. Kubala, the Intelligence Officer, concluded the report by noting that no physical evidence, such as fragments or photographs, existed for the Warner Robins sighting. The documentation includes routing sheets, internal correspondence between Air Force commands, and spot reports from witnesses, reflecting the military's systematic approach to evaluating these reports during the early Cold War period.