Milton Torres — ordered to fire on a UFO

Lt Milton Torres, a USAF F-86D pilot at RAF Manston, was scrambled after ground radar tracked a large target over East Anglia. He was ordered to fire a full salvo of 24 rockets at it and got a radar lock at 32,000 ft. He said the return was as big as an aircraft carrier. Before he could fire, it accelerated off his scope at an estimated Mach 10 or more. He said a man in civilian clothes later warned him not to talk. His account was published in the UK National Archives UFO files in 2008.

Explanation

One suggestion is that the target was a radar-spoofing test by U.S. electronic-warfare units (Project Palladium). This has not been confirmed, and the MoD found no record of the incident.

What was seen

Shape: Radar return the size of an aircraft carrier
Witnesses: 1 (Lt Milton Torres, USAF); ground-control radar
Duration: Minutes

Sources

• The National Archives (UK) — MoD UFO files

Browse

• United Kingdom
• 1950s
• Disputed
• Military encounters
• Official government documents
• Military witnesses
• Pilot and aircrew witnesses
• Radar tracking

Similar cases

• Farnborough test pilot’s disc — the Flying Saucer Working Party 14 August 1950
• RAF Topcliffe disc — Exercise Mainbrace 19 September 1952
• West Malling Vampire sighting 3 November 1953
• Rendlesham Forest 26 December 1980