Wurtsmith AFB: Silent UFO Penetrates Nuclear Weapons Area, KC-135 Chase at 1000+ MPH
A UFO entered restricted space at Wurtsmith AFB, a SAC base on Michigan's lower peninsula near Lake Huron. After 10 p.m., multiple airmen observed a low-flying, silent object with lights near the weapons storage area. Security police at the back gate reported three times within eleven minutes that an unidentified helicopter with no lights had entered the base near the weapons storage. A KC-135 tanker with six personnel was ordered to intercept. The crew pursued what appeared to be two objects for 35 miles southeast, but every time they increased speed, the objects simply pulled away. At Saginaw Bay the quarry was lost among fishing boat lights. On the return, the UFO began following the tanker. As told to the official base historian: 'I would estimate the UFO was doing approximately 1,000 knots' — over 1,000 mph. Following the mission, the crew was cautioned 'not to discuss the incident.' No helicopter can travel 1,000+ mph; the Hughes YAH-64 Apache prototype (first flown Sept 30, 1975) had a top speed of only 190 mph.
Background
EVENT TITLE: Wurtsmith AFB: Silent UFO Penetrates Nuclear Weapons Area, KC-135 Chase at 1000+ MPH
EVENT DATE: 1975-10-30
EVENT TYPE: military_encounter
EXISTING SUMMARY: A UFO entered restricted space at Wurtsmith AFB, a SAC base on Michigan's lower peninsula near Lake Huron. After 10 p.m., multiple airmen observed a low-flying, silent object with lights near the weapons storage area. Security police at the back gate reported three times within eleven minutes that a
1. On October 30, 1975, a UFO event occurred at Wurtsmith AFB, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) base in Michigan. Multiple airmen observed a silent, low-flying object with lights near the base perimeter and weapons storage area.
The Incident Just after 10 p.m., an airman in the housing area saw what appeared to be the running lights of a low-flying craft near the base perimeter, south of his location. The object had one light pointing down and two red lights near the back. The object hovered at times and moved up and down erratically. The airman heard no sound from the object, but did hear a B-52 aircraft to the north.
A few minutes later, an on-duty airman near the main gate observed several lights close to his position, near the western edge of the base. He heard no sound. The lights turned north and appeared to lose altitude. Security police at the back gate reported three times within eleven minutes that a UFO was observed. The object resembled a helicopter, but not exactly, and demonstrated interest in the weapons storage facilities.