Joe Yates
Unsealed government files have revealed that the British military once seriously explored the idea of securing UFO technology, amid fears that unexplained craft could pose both a threat - and an opportunity - to national defence.
The documents, now available at the National Archives in London, show that during the 1990s, the UK’s Defence Intelligence staff was instructed to investigate a surge in 'unidentified aerial phenomena' (UAPs), following thousands of sightings reported over Belgium between November 1989 and April 1990.
At the time, intelligence officers were concerned that the strange sightings might not only be real, but technologically significant.
One internal memo from March 1997 read: “Logic would indicate that if significant numbers are reporting seeing strange objects in the sky then there may be a basis in fact. It could be argued that UAPs pose a potential threat to the defence of the realm since we have no idea what they are!”
Advert
Earlier reports focused on accounts of 'large, silent, low-flying black triangles' that appeared to outperform any known aircraft. Their apparent ability to hover, accelerate rapidly and evade military jets led officials to consider whether the technology itself could be exploited.
As reported by the Sunday Times, another report noted: "A supplementary issue is the possibility of technology acquisition. UAPs do not appear to use conventional reaction propulsion.
"The Belgian deltas (confirmed by the country’s Ministry of Defence) hovered for long periods and accelerated quickly to supersonic speeds, outrunning F-16s. If this represents real technology perhaps it should be acquired."
The files also revisit the infamous Rendlesham Forest incident of 1980, near a US Air Force base in Suffolk.
One report described the event as 'the Rendlesham Forest 'landing', claiming a glowing 'craft of unknown origin' briefly touched down before taking off again. The landing was reportedly 'confirmed by the US unit commander and others'.
The document stated: "In both [Belgian and Rendlesham Forest] cases the UAP apparently did not use any conventional propulsion system and could hover as well as move at considerable speed. The French have always had an interest in this topic … and I am aware that there is an informal intelligence grouping in the US."
It later mentioned that it had a 'Moscow report' that claimed 'two military scientists are responsible for UFOs'.
The papers even warned against ridicule, stating: “Mention of UAPs is guaranteed to generate mirth and a range of Little Green Men jokes.”
Despite the revelations, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has since stepped back, with Minister for Defence Readiness Luke Pollard insisting that similar projects are no longer taking place.
"The MoD ceased to investigate reports of UFOs or UAP in 2009,” he said back in December 2024.
“It has been deemed more valuable to prioritise staff towards other defence-related activities. There are no current plans to create a dedicated team to investigate alleged sightings.”
“The MoD’s position remains unchanged, which is that, in over 50 years, no sighting reported to the department has indicated the existence of any military threat to the UK.”