Air Intelligence Information Report: Sighting at Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren, Virginia, 28 April 1955

This Air Intelligence Information Report details a sighting of an unidentified aerial object on 28 April 1955, at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia. The primary witness, a Petty Officer 1st Class and aerologist, was performing routine duties tracking a weather balloon using a theodolite when he observed an additional object in the sky. The object was described as round, silver-metallic, and approximately 20 to 30 feet in diameter. It was not visible to the naked eye and could only be tracked through the theodolite. The witness reported that the object moved slowly from the South-West to the West and appeared to change shape, becoming elongated and wavering at times. The observation lasted for approximately one hour and 56 minutes. The witness was informed that the local radar station had also received returns from the object. Following an investigation by Flight 3-H of the 4602d Air Intelligence Service Squadron, the official conclusion reached by the preparing officer, Captain Chester B. Hanson, was that the object was likely a Rasonde weather balloon released by the Fleet Weather Central at the Norfolk Naval Base. The report includes detailed weather data and wind conditions at the time of the sighting to support this conclusion. The witness, while initially unsure of the object's nature due to his limited experience with large balloons, ultimately concurred with the assessment that the object was likely a balloon. The report is classified as unclassified and serves as a record of the investigation conducted under Project 10073.