SHETLAND UFO SIGHTING PROMPTS SPY PLANE SPECULATION

This document is an FBIS report dated December 14, 1992, detailing a series of sightings that occurred in the Shetland Islands on the evening of Saturday, December 12, 1992. According to the report, the Shetland Police, the Coastguard, and the Lerwick Observatory recorded 17 sightings of a large, white object traveling at low altitude and high speed. A scientist at the Lerwick Observatory expressed confusion regarding the nature of the object, noting that it moved with such velocity that it was difficult to track. The report highlights that these sightings prompted speculation about a new, ultra-top-secret American aircraft. Defense industry specialists cited in the report suggested that the U.S. military might be testing a successor to the SR-71 Blackbird, a plane allegedly capable of reaching speeds of Mach 8. The document notes that such a craft would be capable of circling the globe in three hours, necessitating testing outside of U.S. airspace. Furthermore, the report mentions that the Pentagon had imposed a no-comment zone regarding the plane the day prior to the report's issuance.