Incident Report: Radar Sighting at Truax Field, Wisconsin, 26 July 1965

This document consists of a series of communications regarding a radar sighting that occurred on July 26, 1965, near Truax Field, Wisconsin. The initial report, transmitted via the Air Force Staff Message Branch, describes a single unidentified object detected by ground radar at 0230Z. The object was tracked at an altitude of 100,000 feet, moving at a speed exceeding 1,000 knots on a southwest flight path. The observation lasted for ten minutes before radar contact was lost. The observer was identified as an Army Air Defense Missile Site (ARADCOM Site C-72), located 14 miles west of O'Hara Air Force Base. Weather conditions were reported as clear with no unusual activity. Following the report, Major H. Quintanilla, Jr. of the Aerial Phenomena Branch requested a formal analysis from the Foreign Technology Division. In an indorsement dated August 10, 1965, Lt. Colonel John W. Vega of the Electronics Directorate concluded that the evidence provided was too meager for a definitive evaluation. However, through a process of elimination, he determined that the target was too slow to be a meteor, and that its speed and altitude were consistent with a high-performance, potentially experimental, aircraft. He noted that there was no evidence of radar malfunction or false targets, leading to the conclusion that a high-performance aircraft was the most logical explanation.