High Speed Korean Radar Tracks

This collection of documents details an investigation into reports of unidentified luminous objects observed and tracked on radar in the vicinity of the Pork Chop and Old Baldy Hills on the Western Korean Front in April 1953. The initial reports, which originated from an Associated Press radio news summary, claimed that these objects were traveling at supersonic speeds. This triggered a series of internal military communications between Headquarters USAF, the Far East Air Forces, and the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC). The military sought to verify these claims, requesting specific data including dates, times, radar and visual observation details, and descriptions of the objects to determine if they were distinct from known high-speed jet aircraft like the F-86 or MiG-15. The documents also note a potential connection to similar reports of supersonic objects near Lake Superior, though officials expressed skepticism regarding the correlation due to a significant speed differential between the two sets of reports. Project Blue Book was consulted, but it was noted that they held no information on either the Korean or Lake Superior sightings. Ultimately, a follow-up investigation conducted by the 7th Infantry Division G-2, 7th Artillery S-2, and the 502nd Tactical Control Group of the 5th Air Force concluded that there was no record of such objects being tracked on radar in the specified Korean combat areas. The documents reflect the standard administrative process for handling intelligence reports of aerial phenomena during the Korean War era, emphasizing the need for verification and the potential for confusion with conventional military activity.