Page Content (OCR)
Chapter Six Lighter-Than-Air Vehicles and the UFO Connection Balloons have been associated with UFOs working on specialised high-altitude spy- since 1947 and two of the most widely publi- _ planes, but this represented a clear techno- cised UFO incidents can be directly linked to logical boundary — and space-based US military balloon projects. The late 1940s reconnaissance systems were something was a time of international tension and grow- belonging to the more distant future. How- ing concern in the West about Soviet inten- ever, unmanned balloons presented a rela- tions and their military capabilities. The tively inexpensive low-tech option and, Russians had captured a vast amount of although their capabilities were limited and advanced technology from the Germans and _ performance somewhat hit-or-miss, the high- a deadly arms race was gaining momentum. _ altitude balloon offered some intriguing pos- Unfortunately for the West, gathering infor- _ sibilities. mation from behind the Iron Curtain was Long before the first powered flight in 1903 proving enormously difficult. manned balloons had been used for covert MI6 and the CIA had some agents inside the — military operations. The Pentagon decided Soviet Union and dangerous reconnaissance _ there was nothing to be lost by initiating sev- flights were occasionally undertaken that eral unmanned balloon projects, usually often ran the gauntlet of Russian fighter air- under the cover of meteorology studies. craft, but in reality these agencies had little | Eventually, this would lead to the large-scale idea what military developments were taking | deployment of balloons on long-range photo- place. The Americans and the British were reconnaissance missions across Soviet terri- tory. Balloons were relatively inexpensive and, assuming sufficient numbers were launched, it stood to reason that the payloads carried by some might be recovered and a few would contain valuable photographic data. Specialist payloads might also be launched to gather electronic and acoustic data, or perhaps collect particles that would indicate a nuclear weapon test. With increas- ing numbers of large balloons being launched and often drifting across US skies for extended periods, it was inevitable that many of these flights would generate public reports AE TIEN. and of UFOs. — Skyhook Under the broad designation Skyhook (not to be confused with Robert Fulton’s aerial retrieval system of a similar name), the USAF and US Navy released many high-altitude bal- Above: A Skyhook balloon seen from directly below, producing the impression of a circular silver UFO. US Navy Right: Helium is pumped into a Skyhook balloon during the initial inflation stage, prior to launch from the US Navy aircraft carrier Valley Forge in 1960. US Navy Right: Helium is pumped into a Skyhook balloon during the initial inflation stage, prior to launch from the US Navy aircraft carrier Valley Forge in 1960. US Navy 112 Above: A Skyhook balloon seen from directly below, producing the impression of a circular silver UFO. US Navy Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft