TOKYO, JAPAN, September 1952September 1952

Insufficient Data

Summary

On September 2, 1952, starting at 8:15 p.m. local time, a radar operator at Haneda Air Base near Tokyo, Japan, reported unidentified targets on the GCA radar scope. The first target was nine miles north of the field, moving at an estimated 40 to 60 mph at 3,000 feet or less. Over the next hour the number of targets varied from one to three. They did not hold formation and moved in various directions but stayed in the northeast.

The targets gave a clear echo about the size of a C-124 aircraft but could not be seen by eye. There was no air traffic reported in the area. A radar station at nearby Shiroi Air Base also picked up the targets in the same area. The operators believed the targets were most likely birds, though they could not fully explain the large echo.

The weather was about 10,000 feet broken clouds with 7 miles visibility. The reporting officer noted that large migratory birds, such as snipe and plover, are common in the Tokyo area in that season and fly at night at varying altitudes. Project 10073 is the Air Force's record for unidentified flying object reports. The case conclusion is listed as probably birds.

Reported location

TOKYO, JAPAN, September 1952

Date of incident

September 1952

State / country

? / XX

Page count

6 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 15

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 6

View transcribed text

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28949517