Knowledge Tree
United States Department of the Air Force
Also known as: Air Force, USAF, United States Department of the Air Force, United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force, US Air Force
Facts (42)
Sources
Unidentified flying object - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 25 facts
claimIn 1970, the United States Air Force issued a statement claiming that the UFO chapter in the U.S. Air Force Academy's Space Sciences course was outdated and that cadets were instead being informed of the Condon Report's negative conclusion.
referenceA 1969 United States Air Force document known as the Bolender memo revealed that non-public U.S. government UFO investigations continued after 1970, stating that reports of unidentified flying objects that could affect national security were not part of the Blue Book system.
accountEdward Ruppelt documented his experiences with Project Blue Book, a United States Air Force investigation into UFOs that occurred prior to the Condon Committee.
accountOn September 27, 2010, former U.S. Air Force personnel held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where they alleged that UFOs had interfered with nuclear missiles at U.S. facilities.
claimThe United States Air Force's Project Sign was created at the end of 1947 and was one of the earliest government studies to reach a secret extraterrestrial conclusion.
referenceThe Black Vault is a private website that maintains an archive of several thousand U.S. government UFO-related documents originating from agencies including the USAF, Army, CIA, DIA, DOD, and NSA.
measurementThe USAF's Project Blue Book concluded that less than 2% of reported UFOs were 'psychological' or hoaxes, while a study conducted by Allan Hendry for the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) found that less than 1% were hoaxes or psychological in nature.
claimThe United States Army and Air Force conducted the secret Project Twinkle investigation into green fireballs between 1948 and 1951.
quoteCaptain Edward J. Ruppelt of the United States Air Force coined the acronym 'UFO' and wrote: 'Obviously the term 'flying saucer' is misleading when applied to objects of every conceivable shape and performance. For this reason the military prefers the more general, if less colorful, name: unidentified flying objects. UFO'.
claimThe Condon Committee, a public research effort conducted for the United States Air Force, published the Condon Report in 1968, which arrived at a negative conclusion regarding the existence or significance of UFOs.
claimThe Battelle Memorial Institute conducted the secret United States Air Force Project Blue Book Special Report No. 14.
referenceA 1952–1955 study conducted for the United States Air Force (USAF) categorized UFO reports into the following groups: Balloon; Astronomical; Aircraft; Light phenomenon; Birds, Clouds, dust, etc.; Insufficient information; Psychological manifestations; Unknown; and Other.
accountThe United States Air Force conducted a military investigation into green fireballs from 1948 to 1951.
referenceThe Battelle Memorial Institute conducted a study for the United States Air Force regarding unidentified flying objects from 1952 to 1955, which was published as Project Blue Book Special Report No. 14.
claimThe United States Air Force coined the term 'unidentified flying object' (UFO) because investigations into 'flying saucers' revealed too broad a range of reported shapes to classify them all as saucers or discs.
referenceUnited States Air Force Regulation 200-2, issued in 1953 and 1954, defined an Unidentified Flying Object (UFOB) as any airborne object which by performance, aerodynamic characteristics, or unusual features, does not conform to any presently known aircraft or missile type, or which cannot be positively identified as a familiar object.
perspectiveJames E. McDonald, in an address to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), stated that he believed science had failed to mount adequate studies of the UFO problem and criticized the Condon Report and earlier studies by the United States Air Force as scientifically deficient.
claimThe United States Air Force closed Project Blue Book in 1970, citing the Condon Committee's negative conclusion as the rationale for ending official Air Force UFO investigations.
referenceThe United States Air Force published the report 'Aid to Identification of Flying Objects' in 1968.
referenceThe Congressional Research Service report 'The UFO Enigma' states that although the United States Air Force held official responsibility for UFO investigations, many individuals formed their own organizations starting in 1952 because they felt the issue was not receiving sufficient serious attention.
claimThe United States Air Force conducted Project Blue Book (which included the previous projects Project Sign and Project Grudge) from 1947 until 1969.
referenceGeneral Nathan Twining, a future USAF Chief of Staff, authored a memo on September 23, 1947, that recommended intelligence cooperation regarding UFOs between the Army, Navy, Atomic Energy Commission, the Defense Department's Joint Research and Development Board, Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Project RAND, and the Nuclear Energy for the Propulsion of Aircraft (NEPA) project.
claimIn a preliminary defense estimate issued three weeks after July 9, 1947, the United States Air Force investigation concluded that the 'flying saucer' situation was not imaginary and that 'something is really flying around.'
referenceThe United States Air Force published 'Project Blue Book Special Report 14: Analysis of Reports of Unidentified Aerial Objects' on May 5, 1955, which analyzed reports of unidentified aerial objects.
claimAllen Hynek, an astronomer who served as a USAF consultant starting in 1948, criticized the Condon Committee Report and authored two nontechnical books advocating for the continued investigation of UFO reports.
Disclosure movement - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 4 facts
claimThe United States Air Force stated in 1952 that there was no pattern in UFO reports that revealed purpose or consistency associated with any menace to the United States.
claimIn 1952, the United States Air Force stated that 'there has been no pattern that reveals anything remotely like purpose or remotely like consistency that we can in any way associate with any menace to the United States' regarding UFO reports.
claimIn 1952, the United States Air Force acknowledged receiving reports from credible observers regarding unidentified aerial phenomena, but stated that there was no consistent pattern or purpose that suggested a menace to the United States.
accountIn 1952, the United States Air Force acknowledged receiving reports from 'credible observers of relatively incredible things' regarding UFOs.
How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously | The New Yorker newyorker.com Apr 30, 2021 4 facts
accountIn a 1956 incident near a U.S. Air Force base in England, a preternaturally fast object was recorded on multiple radars, leading one of the Condon Report's researchers to conclude that the object's rational, intelligent behavior suggested a mechanical device of unknown origin.
accountIn 1980, several U.S. Air Force officers claimed to have observed a UFO at close range outside R.A.F. Bentwaters in Rendlesham Forest, England, an incident known as 'Britain's Roswell'.
accountIn a 1956 incident near a U.S. Air Force base in England, a preternaturally fast object was recorded on multiple radars.
claimProject Blue Book was a U.S. Air Force program that operated out of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, as a continuation of Project Sign.
History of the Central Intelligence Agency - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 3 facts
accountControl of U-2 reconnaissance flights was transferred to the United States Air Force, and flights resumed on October 14, 1962.
accountIn 2000, the Central Intelligence Agency and the United States Air Force jointly conducted reconnaissance flights over Afghanistan using the Predator drone, which resulted in the acquisition of probable photographs of Osama bin Laden.
claimGeneral Hoyt S. Vandenberg served in the United States Air Force.
Consequences of the Russia-Ukraine War and the Changing Face ... rand.org May 22, 2025 2 facts
claimThe Department of the Air Force and the U.S. Air Forces in Europe should examine opportunities to leverage European Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and infrastructure improvements to support U.S. distributed air operations, including the prepositioning of supplies and the hardening of critical infrastructure.
perspectiveThe U.S. Department of the Air Force and U.S. Air Forces in Europe should assess how European defense industrial base and infrastructure improvements, such as runway availability and supply prepositioning, can support U.S. distributed air operations.
The Evolution of the U.S. Intelligence Community-An Historical ... govinfo.gov 1 fact
claimThe Second Hoover Commission identified the NSC, CIA, NSA, FBI, Department of State, Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Atomic Energy Commission as members of the U.S. intelligence community in 1955.
The Role of Private Corporations in the Intelligence Community belfercenter.org 1 fact
claimA private firm designed and built the MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the United States Air Force.
Steven M. Greer - Wikiquote en.wikiquote.org 1 fact
claimDr. J. Allen Hynek, while in charge of Project Blue Book for the Air Force, described the evidence for UFOs as an "embarrassment of riches."
UFOs and the U.S. government: The push towards greater ... - WBUR wbur.org Nov 14, 2023 1 fact
claimDuring the summer of 1947, the United States Air Force investigated UFO sightings because they feared the objects were secret Soviet craft built by kidnapped Nazi rocket scientists.