Malmstrom AFB K-7: Football-Field-Sized Orange Disc Over Missile Site, Targeting Tampered
At approximately 3 p.m., electronic sensors at Malmstrom AFB detected a security violation at missile site K-7. A Sabotage Alert Team (SAT) dispatched to investigate reported by radio seeing 'a brightly glowing orange disc, as large as a football field, hovering over the missile site.' The SAT refused to proceed to the site. From a safe distance they watched it begin to rise. At 1,000 feet it registered on NORAD radar and F-106 interceptors were scrambled. The object continued rising to 200,000 feet (more than double the U-2's ceiling) before disappearing from NORAD radar. The F-106s arrived too late. Afterward, SAT members received psychological examinations indicating traumatic experience. The missile at K-7 showed its computer targeting system had been tampered with and had to be removed. Six other Launch Control Centers reported UFOs that day.
Background
On November 7, 1975, electronic sensors at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana detected a security violation at missile site K-7 at approximately 3 p.m. A Sabotage Alert Team dispatched to investigate reported seeing a massive orange disc, described as being as large as a football field, hovering directly over the nuclear missile site.
The Incident
At around 3 p.m. on November 7, 1975, security sensors at Malmstrom AFB triggered an alert indicating a potential breach at missile site K-7. Base security immediately dispatched a Sabotage Alert Team (SAT) to investigate the reported violation at the Minuteman missile facility.
Upon arrival at the site, the SAT team radioed back to base with an extraordinary report. They described observing a brightly glowing orange disc hovering over the missile site, estimating its size to be as large as a football field. The team's reluctance to approach the object, as indicated by their refusal mentioned in the initial report, suggests the phenomenon was perceived as potentially threatening or dangerous.
This incident occurred during a period of heightened UFO activity over nuclear facilities in the region. Throughout mid-September 1975, UFOs described as huge orange or red glowing discs had been repeatedly observed over Minuteman missile sites at Malmstrom AFB. The November 7 event represented a continuation of this pattern of aerial phenomena showing apparent interest in America's nuclear missile installations.
Investigation
The incident took place against a backdrop of extensive UFO activity that had been ongoing in the Malmstrom area since September 1975. Regional security personnel and law enforcement officials were reportedly experiencing significant distress over the repeated appearances of unidentified objects over nuclear facilities.
Radio communications intercepted by civilian scanner operators revealed that Great Falls radar was actively tracking UFOs during this period, with coordination attempts being made with Air Force radar installations at Havre. The inconsistent radar tracking, with Havre reporting intermittent contact, highlighted the challenges faced by military personnel in monitoring these objects.
Low-flying helicopters were also frequently reported throughout the Great Falls area during September, October, and November 1975, often flying at night and hovering for unusually long periods. These aircraft sometimes flew so low that they caused homes to vibrate, though authorities at Malmstrom denied reports of helicopter activity over missile sites.
Significance
The November 7, 1975 incident at Malmstrom AFB represents part of a significant wave of UFO activity targeting U.S. nuclear facilities during the mid-1970s. This event was particularly notable given Malmstrom's history with UFO encounters, including the famous 1967 incident where a reddish glowing object allegedly disabled over twenty ICBMs at two separate sites.
The targeting of nuclear missile sites by unidentified aerial phenomena raised serious national security concerns. The apparent inability of the Air Force to effectively respond to or control these incursions over some of America's most sensitive military installations highlighted potential vulnerabilities in nuclear security protocols.
The November 7 event, along with the broader pattern of UFO activity at Malmstrom during this period, demonstrated a persistent and focused interest by unknown entities in U.S. nuclear capabilities. The fact that these incidents involved multiple witness reports, radar tracking, and occurred at facilities housing intercontinental ballistic missiles made them among the most significant UFO encounters from a national security perspective.