Project 073 Record Card — New Delhi, India, 15 March 1951

On 15 March 1951, at approximately 1020 local time, a cigar-shaped object was observed over the Safdarjang Airdrome in New Delhi, India. The sighting lasted for seven and a half minutes and was witnessed by approximately twenty-five people, including the chief aerial engineer of the Delhi Flying Club. The object was described as being approximately 100 feet long, with a bare metal appearance and no visible control surfaces. It was initially observed as a whitish cloud at an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet, which then elongated into a bullet-shaped object with a 100-foot-long whitish tail. The object performed a loop and exhibited erratic speed, estimated at approximately 2,000 mph, before departing in a south-westerly direction. Witnesses reported that the object made no sound and that its exhaust turned black when it accelerated. The reporting officer, Captain Robert L. Tillotson, noted that while the flight maneuvers were consistent with an aircraft, the witnesses—all of whom were familiar with local aviation—could not identify the object. The report includes a statement from the principal witness, who had twenty years of experience in aeronautical engineering. Despite the witness's professional background, the investigator noted that he was prone to exaggeration. The case was officially listed as 'UNIDENTIFIED' by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC). Subsequent correspondence in May 1952 confirms that the report was circulated within intelligence channels, with no other sightings in the vicinity of India found in the files.