The Lakenheath-Bentwaters Radar Case
One August night in 1956, radar operators at two airbases in England tracked fast-moving objects, and a fighter pilot said one got behind his plane.
What was reported
On the night of 13 to 14 August 1956, radar operators at the RAF and US Air Force bases of Bentwaters and Lakenheath in Suffolk tracked several unidentified targets, some moving at very high speed and then stopping suddenly. Ground observers and the crew of a transport plane reported lights.
An RAF Venom night fighter was sent up. Its pilot said he locked onto an object on his radar, and that it then moved behind his aircraft and followed it. A second fighter was sent, and the objects were eventually lost.
Explanations offered
The University of Colorado UFO study in 1968 examined the case and said it was one of the few it could not explain, describing the apparently intelligent behaviour of the object. Sceptics suggest a combination of radar errors caused by weather, meteors and stars. The case is still debated.
- When
- 13–14 August 1956
- Where
- RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, England
- Witnesses
- Radar operators, pilots and ground observers
- Status
- Unexplained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.