Patuxent River NAS: Unknowns Detected on Three Separate Radar Sets at 6,000 mph
On December 19, 1964, at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, a chief petty officer detected unknowns on three radar sets — one approaching at an estimated 6,000 mph, executing a 160-degree turn at 8 miles. FAA Salisbury also tracked UFOs; Coast Guard confirmed visually.
Background
From 3:15 to 3:30 p.m., December 19, 1964, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, a chief petty officer detected unknowns on three radar sets: First, two objects were located 10 miles apart. Next, something 39 miles from the station approached at an estimated 6,000 mph. Then from 8 miles away something suddenly turned 160 degrees and swiftly left the screen. Altitudes of the unknowns varied from 3,000 to 25,000 feet.
The FAA station at Salisbury, Maryland, 'picked up messages from US Coast Guard reporting UFOs.' The Air Force later dismissed the tracks as 'malfunctioning radar circuitry' despite the Coast Guard's visual confirmation from a vessel at sea.