Joint U.S.-Canadian Aviation Projects and UFO Sighting Reports, 1954-1955
🏛️ Department of War
This file contains reports, memoranda, and correspondence concerning various then-developmental vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The file includes assessments of the experimental potential of the “Avro Project Y2,” a joint U.S.-Canadian near-circular VTOL aircraft that is similar in appearance to contemporary popular descriptions of unidentified flying objects (UFO). A 1954 memorandum opines that VTOL aircraft with a circular planform may be mistaken for UFOs to observers unfamiliar with such technologies. It also recommends that UFO reports in the vicinity of Soviet military operations or assets be re-examined to assess whether they may be attributable to previously unknown advanced VTOL aircraft of foreign design. The file also contains correspondence relating to a UFO incident involving a U.S. Air Force (USAF) KC-97 flying near Newfoundland, Canada in July 1955. A USAF committee found that the characteristics described in the report were inconsistent with those of known Soviet, American, or Canadian military systems. The committee was also “unable to explain the simultaneous ground radar returns and aircrew visual sightings.” It also contains correspondence relating to the potential value of data from incidental radar collection of meteors entering the atmosphere. USAF Air Research and Development Command recommended using that data to improve the performance of the AN/FPS-17 radar system. Finally, the file contains correspondence indicating support for the Communications Instructions for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sightings (CIRVIS) program, a joint U.S.-Canadian civil-military program to standardize reporting methods for unusual or unidentified airborne and maritime hazards and threats.
Key points
- 🏛️ Official U.S. government release — batch 4 (Jul 10, 2026)
- Official file: DOW-UAP-D095
- When: 1955
- Where: Various
📖 In the encyclopedia
Read it yourself
The description above is the government’s own, from the official release. The official file is linked on this page.
Department of War. (1955). Joint U.S.-Canadian Aviation Projects and UFO Sighting Reports, 1954-1955. https://www.war.gov/medialink/ufo/071026/release_04/documents/DOW-UAP-D095_Joint-US-Canadian-Aviation-Projects-and-UFO-Sighting-Reports_1954-1955.pdfRelated records
Correspondence Relating to Project Blue Book, 1955
Department of War
This file contains correspondence relating to Project Blue Book, a 1952-1969 U.S. Air Force program to investigate the nature and origin of unidentified flying objects (UFO). The correspondence includes letters and memoranda sent between various departments and agencies of the U.S. Government, the Legislative Branch, and private citizens concerning UFO sightings and the research and findings of Project Blue Book.
Department of the Air Force Committee to Review Project Bluebook, 1966-1967
Department of War
This file documents the 1966-1967 deliberations and recommendations of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Scientific Advisory Board’s Ad Hoc Committee to Review Project Blue Book. Project Blue Book was a 1952-1969 USAF program to investigate the nature and origin of unidentified flying objects (UFO). The Committee recommended that the USAF contract a scientific team composed of university-affiliated representatives to investigate selected UFO sightings. The USAF subsequently adopted the Committee’s recommendation.
U.S. Air Force Flying Discs File, 1952
Department of War
This file is an archival collection of U.S. Air Force Director of Intelligence records relating to reported “flying disc” incidents during the period from September through December 1952. Drawn from multiple governmental and non-governmental sources, it compiles a wide range of material associated with reported sightings and official handling of those observations, rather than presenting a single analytical conclusion on the nature or origin of “flying discs.” The contents include correspondence, memoranda, reporting forms, case summaries, distribution and routing material, and other administrative or intelligence-related documentation tied to flying-disc reporting and review during that period. Pages 26-36 of the file refer to an incident reported near Tremonton, Utah, in July 1952, in which a U.S. Navy Warrant Officer recorded film of unidentified objects that the Air Force later assessed were likely seabirds. Overall, the file is a broad documentary collection reflecting how such reports were recorded, circulated, and evaluated in late 1952.
Project Sign Progress Report, 1948
Department of War
This file contains an initial report from the Air Materiel Command regarding Project Sign. Project Sign was a 1948-1949 U.S. Air Force program to investigate the nature and origin of unidentified flying objects (UFO). The report details 100 UFO sightings from 1947-1948. The file also contains an article excerpted from “The Aeroplane,” an aviation-focused periodical magazine published between 1911 and 1968, titled “The Biology of the Flying Saucer.”