Somewhere in the Skies - Bite-Sized UFOs | Buzzing the Buff B-52

Episode Date: June 13, 2025

In January of 1960, radar operators onboard a B-52F Stratofortress on a routine mission over an offshore training range picked up a huge object flying at incredible speeds on a collision course with their aircraft. Never sighted visually, it passed by and was also detected by the B-52's tail warning gunnery radar. No other aircraft were on the range at the time. Ground radar did not pick up any contacts. What was it that buzzed the B-52? Subscribe to Bite Sized UFOs on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bitesizedufos Please take a moment to rate and review us on Spotify and Apple. Book Ryan on CAMEO at: https://bit.ly/3kwz3DO Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/somewhereskies ByMeACoffee: http://www.buymeacoffee.com/UFxzyzHOaQ PayPal: [e-mail] Discord: https://discord.gg/NTkmuwyB4F Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ryansprague.bsky.social Twitter: https://twitter.com/SomewhereSkies Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somewhereskiespod/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryansprague51 Order Ryan’s new book: https://a.co/d/4KNQnM4 Order Ryan’s older book: https://amzn.to/3PmydYC Store: http://tee.pub/lic/ULZAy7IY12U Read Ryan’s articles at: https://medium.com/@ryan-sprague51 Opening Theme Song by Septembryo Copyright © 2025 Ryan Sprague. All rights reserved Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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And now here's your host, Graham Rendell. Big Ugly Fat Fellow. This was the affectionate nickname given to the B-52 Stratafortres during the Vietnam War, although Fellow was probably replaced by another word which you can't really use in polite company. However, an early decade before this nickname came into general use with the United States Air, A B-52 was buzzed by what was possibly a UFO. Let's see what evidence can be found in the intelligence files to back up this tale. First of all, we can find a letter from the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio,

informing Project Blue Book staff of the report about the B-52. The initial report was transmitted via teletype. This came from the 4238th Strategic Bomber Wing Base. Strategic Bomber Wing based at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. Four crew members observed what appeared to be a large oblong object on two radar scopes. Object about three times the size of a B-52 presentation on an ASB4 radar scope. Color not observed since object appeared electronically. Single object.

No details other than oblong shape. No tail, trail or exhaust observed. object traveling broadside rather than head and stern. Observer's first noted object traveling at a terrific rate of speed estimated to be 10,000 to 14,000 knots on what appeared to be a collision course from 60 nautical miles scope range to 20 degrees left of the center of the aircraft in 15 seconds. When first observed, object appeared to be traveling at same altitude on a heading of 220 degrees. When last observed, Tail Goner had picked up object as it passed aircraft and disappeared almost instantaneously on a heading of 240 degrees. Flight path of object appeared head on in

straight flight passing through center of navigator's scope in a broadside flight pattern. Object disappeared almost instantaneously after passing aircraft in a westerly direction. Object was observed for 15 seconds by three observers on the ASB4 and repeater scopes, and about six seconds or three sweeps on the tail gunner scope. Observation was air electronics only, picked up on ASB4 and repeater scope, and MD9 radar scope. No other optical aids used. Observation was observed on radar only of B-52 aircraft number 57-007-007.000. at 38,000 feet, on a heading of 060 degrees, true air speed 440 knots. Home Station, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

Daytime Group of Siding, 18th January 1960, 2255 Zulu. Light conditions were daylight. Approximate location, 27 degrees 45 minutes north, 95 degrees, 45 minutes west. Overwater approximately south of the southwest corner of danger area W223. Military personnel Van Zant, Richard D. First Lieutenant, 436 Bombardman Squadron, Navigator. Nile Arthur L., First Lieutenant, 436 Bombardman Squadron, radar officer. Wallace, John N. Jr., Captain 3,938 Strategic Standardization Group, instructor navigator. Farrell, Edward E. Staff Sergeant, 436 bombardment squadron gunner.

All personnel are considered completely reliable. All personnel are considered to be completely reliable. Well, these personnel had to be. If so ordered, they would have had to drop nuclear bombs on enemy targets. And that wasn't a task you could entrust to simply anybody. The report concluded with weather conditions at the time of the sighting plus whether other aircraft could have been in the vicinity at the time it was reported. No unusual activities or conditions at time of sighting. Siding reported to tapeworm ground control intercept about 15 minutes after sighting. Tapeworm reported no observation or unusual activity. B-52 only aircraft cleared for range at time of sighting,

fact confirmed by ground control intercept. Only other aircraft in the area had already cleared the range and was heading in westerly direction, however not visually observed. Report prepared by 4238th Strategic Wing Intelligence Officer. Bight-sized UFOs, where the truth matters. Major Robert Friend, who was the director of Blue Book in 1960, approached the project's consultant, J. Allen Heineck had provided analysis and his own evaluations of UFO sighting since Project Sign in the late 1940s, and had also consulted for Project Grudge, albeit to a lesser extent. When his work with Project Blue Book was taken into consideration, Dr. Heineck's involvement in UFO investigations spanned over a decade. Regarding the B-52 radar case, Dr. Heinek replied to Robert Friend as follows. Dear Major Friend, with reference to the anomalous radar sighting of which I took a transcript,

I have checked with some of our radio astronomers and find that this might be a scattering phenomenon. In order to check this, it is necessary to find out, as soon as possible, I hope, whether either of the radars had range readings. Also, it is important to know whether there were any large surveillance or acquisition radars on the ground in the neighborhood. It is possible that there was a meteorological condition at the Tropopause which was scattering the beam from a powerful ground radar. In this case, the radars on the plane would have observed a blip, but they would not have been able to get a series of range readings on it. Thus, this information is rather crucial. Project Blue Book sent a list of Heinex queries to Barksdale Air Force Base.

Were any range readings available? Were any large surveillance or acquisition radar operating on the ground in the neighborhood? at the time of the sighting? As complete meteorological data as possible for the area at the time of the sighting. The reply from the B-52 wing at Barksdale was as follows. Range readings, the aircraft heading was 60 degrees. The object first appeared on the ASB4 and repeater scopes at range 60 nautical miles on a 40-degree true bearing from the aircraft.

The object moved on a heading of approximately two. 220 degrees, disappearing into the center of the scopes in approximately 15 seconds, when it apparently passed over or under the aircraft. It then appeared on the tailgunner's MD9 radar scope, which has a two-second sweep rate. The object painted three times at ranges of approximately 1,500 yards, 5,000 yards and 9,000 yards. The only known ground radar operating in the vicinity was tapeworm GCI. Tapeworm were informed of the sighting, but stated they saw nothing. We understand their sweep rate is 12 seconds, therefore the object would likely not have appeared on it. The only available meteorological data was included in the original report.

From the information provided by Barksdale Air Force Base, it seemed that the conditions necessary to prove Dr. Hinex's scattering phenomenon didn't exist. But in the end what did Project Blue Book evaluate the sighting as? Their record card index reads as follows. B-52 Radar picked up object with estimated speed of 10 to 14,000 miles per hour on collision course at 38,000 feet with heading of 060 degrees. Airspeed at time was 440 knots, object bearing 20 degrees on inbound track and 240 degrees after passing aircraft. Initial pickup on one radar at 60 nautical miles. after passing aircraft, followed by second radar with two-second sweep,

and followed for six seconds with pickups at 1,500 yards, 5,000 yards and 9,000 yards, no meteorological inversion, no other aircraft in area and not picked up by ground radar. Anomalous propagation, UFO, or something else entirely, we'll probably never know the answer to that question. But presumably this explanation was much more acceptable to Air Force bosses than the potential for an unknown object to be on a collision course with a nuclear-capable B-52. This incident took place within the airspace of an offshore military training range.

This type of offshore airspace has been the site of much more recent encounters, this time between US Navy jets and strange objects. The recent sightings were visual ones, but it appears that this type of airspace does have some kind of history with UFO sightings. And that's it for this 22nd edition of bite-sized UFOs. More tales of obscure UFO sightings, whether visual, radar or radar visual, to come in the future. This has been bite-sized UFOs with your host, Graham Rendell. Be sure to rate and review wherever you get your podcasts.

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