Air Intelligence Information Report: Unusual Airborne Radar Returns (IR-9-52)

This document is a collection of Air Intelligence Information Reports and related correspondence concerning a series of unusual radar returns observed by pilots and radar observers of the 66th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, based at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, during July 1952. The reports detail three specific incidents occurring on July 5, 21, and 25, 1952, involving F-94 aircraft equipped with APG-33 airborne radar. In each instance, the radar detected targets that exhibited high speeds, rapid climbing, and erratic movement, yet the crews were unable to achieve visual contact despite favorable weather conditions. The reports emphasize that the radar sets were functioning correctly and that the contacts were confirmed by multiple crews, making equipment malfunction an unlikely explanation. The preparing officer, Captain Timothy J. Flanagan, concluded that the radar returns were likely caused by an atmospheric condition or phenomenon unique to the Alaskan region. The document also includes supplementary materials, such as statements from the involved pilots and radar observers, and a separate, unrelated report regarding a sighting in New York, which was evaluated as a sphere suspended in air, possibly a gas-filled balloon. The collection serves as a record of the Air Force's efforts to analyze and evaluate these radar phenomena within the framework of Project Blue Book, while also addressing the public's interest in UFOs through standard correspondence.