Case file

Britain’s UFO files (and two from the Isle of Man)

What the Ministry of Defence kept, what it solved, and why it hung up the phone.

How this site works. Every fact is in our own words with its source linked beside it. The pictures are our own drawings. We never say aliens have been found, because nobody has shown that they have; we show what was reported, then what the evidence says.

In the UK, official reporting and recording of UFO sightings began in the early 1950s. The National Archives

Until 1967 the Ministry of Defence destroyed its UFO files every five years, so many early records are lost. The National Archives

Since 1970, most surviving MoD UFO files have been reviewed for release at The National Archives, because so many people are interested. The National Archives

Solved: a rocket and an airship

On 31 March 1993, police and military witnesses across central England reported bright lights, more than 30 sightings in six hours. National Archives, 2009 files

Most of those 1993 sightings turned out to be a Russian rocket, which had launched the Cosmos 2238 satellite, burning up as it re-entered the atmosphere. National Archives, 2009 files

In 1993–94, dozens of Londoners reported a brightly lit oval object. It was an advertising airship, and some people refused to believe it. National Archives, 2009 files

Not solved

Not everything is solved: an account in the MoD files of objects tracked by NATO radars and F-16 fighters over Belgium in 1990 says they remain unexplained. National Archives, 2009 files

On our own doorstep

The MoD has published lists of the UFO reports it received from 1997 to 2009, with dates, times, places and a short description. GOV.UK

On 19 April 2001 someone on the Isle of Man reported three very large objects flying in formation, which split up and headed off south-east. MoD UFO reports 2001

One 2004 report from Douglas, Isle of Man, described a silver disc with solar panels. It turned out to be a twin-propeller ATR 42 Euromanx aeroplane. MoD UFO reports 2004

We like the second one best: an honest report, checked, and solved by a scheduled flight. The first one, sadly, is just a line in a list.

Why the MoD stopped

The Ministry of Defence closed its UFO hotline and email address on 1 December 2009. The Independent

Ring the old number and a recording told you it was no longer MoD policy to record, respond to or investigate UFO sightings. The Guardian

The MoD said it “has no opinion on the existence or otherwise of extra-terrestrial life”, but that in over 50 years no UFO report had shown any evidence of a threat to the UK. The Independent

It said there was no defence benefit in investigating sightings. The Independent

The Guardian put the number of sightings the unit had dealt with at more than 11,000. The Guardian

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