Type: Radar Documentation
Source:
During the incident, personnel attempted to photograph the radar display showing the unidentified target. The resulting photographic record was reportedly unsuccessful due to technical issues.
During the Ellsworth Air Force Base UFO Incident on August 5, 1953, radar operators attempted to photograph the unidentified object’s track on their radar scopes. Project Blue Book investigators, including Captain Edward Ruppelt, reported that while photos of the track were taken, the camera malfunctioned and the resulting images were unusable.
Despite the photographic failure, the incident remains a significant radar-visual (RV) case due to:
Corroborated Radar Data: The target was tracked by multiple ground radar systems, including height-finding radar, at an altitude of 16,000 feet.
Visual Confirmations: A civilian Ground Observer Corps spotter and military personnel visually observed the object.
Jet Intercepts: Two F-84 Thunderjet pilots pursued the object, with one pilot’s radar-ranging gunsight reportedly locking onto the target before the object accelerated away.