Project 10073 Record — Hermanas, New Mexico, 24 August 1952

On 24 August 1952, Colonel Gerald W. Johnson of the 40th Air Division, while piloting a jet aircraft, observed two unidentified objects in the vicinity of Hermanas, New Mexico. The objects were initially sighted between 1015 and 1018 MST, appearing as silver, round balls approximately six feet in diameter, flying in a line-abreast formation. As the objects passed in front of the observer, one turned to the right and transformed into a long gray object, while the other maintained its course before also changing shape. No propulsion, exhaust, or trails were observed. The objects disappeared from sight after three minutes. Approximately seven minutes later, the objects reappeared while the observer was over El Paso, Texas. During this second sighting, one object climbed rapidly, and the two rejoined in close formation before disappearing again at 1035 MST. The observer noted that the objects' speed was significantly greater than his own indicated air speed of 290 MPH. Intelligence reports from the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) confirmed that no weather balloons or other known aircraft were in the area at the time of the sighting. The ATIC concluded that the nature of the objects remained unknown, noting that their flight capabilities appeared to exceed those of any contemporary aircraft. The report includes detailed weather data and maps of the flight path, and emphasizes that the observer, an experienced pilot, was able to rule out conventional aircraft or known high-speed flight phenomena. The document was processed through the Strategic Air Command and forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center for further analysis under Project Blue Book.