Type: Military Report
Source:
The 1980 RAF Bentwaters USAF Security Police reports document a series of sightings of unidentified flying objects in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, involving personnel from the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing and the 81st Security Police Squadron. The incident, often called "Britain's Roswell," centers on events between December 26 and 28, 1980, where security police observed strange lights and a metallic triangular craft.
Key Reports and Witnesses
Initial Sighting (Dec 26): Staff Sgt. Jim Penniston and Airman First Class John Burroughs reported a bright light descending into the forest, later describing a metallic, triangular craft with flashing lights.
Halt Memo and Tape (Dec 27-28): Lt. Col. Charles Halt, Deputy Base Commander, led an investigation team, recording an 18-minute audio tape and filing an official memo to the UK Ministry of Defence on January 13, 1981. He reported observing lights maneuvering and emitting beams, noting radiation spikes at landing sites.
Weapons Storage Area (WSA) Incidents: Multiple security police members, including Tim Egercic and Ken Kern, reported seeing luminous objects or beams of light hovering over or near the nuclear weapons storage area, with radio chatter confirming the objects' proximity to the site.
Radar Data: Former air traffic controllers and radar operators at RAF Bentwaters and nearby Wattisham claimed to have tracked an unidentified object moving at high speeds near the forest, though no public radar data has been released.
Official Outcome and Controversy
The UK Ministry of Defence investigated and concluded the sightings posed no threat to national security, attributing the lights to the Orfordness lighthouse, RAF Bentwaters landing beacons, and potentially a meteor. The USAF did not conduct a formal UFO investigation, treating the events as internal security logs. However, witnesses like Col. Halt have long argued the MoD investigation was inadequate and alleged a cover-up by both US and UK governments, citing the declassification of the Halt Memo in 1983 via FOIA as evidence of suppressed information. stationed at RAF Woodbridge.