Air Technical Service Command

The Air Technical Service Command (ATSC), a United States Air Force unit, was established around 1945 as part of Air Materiel Command at Wright Field (later Wright-Patterson AFB), Ohio. As a government military organization, it played a pivotal role in early UFO/UAP investigations. In 1947, following Kenneth Arnold's sighting, Gen. Nathan Twining, ATSC head, initiated Project Saucer (renamed Project Sign in 1948) to collect, evaluate, and distribute UFO reports due to national security concerns over potential Soviet or advanced craft. Its Technical Intelligence Division analyzed evidence, concluding phenomena were real but often explainable. This led to Project Grudge (1949) and influenced Project Blue Book (1952-1969). ATSC coordinated with CIA, OSI, and labs like Los Alamos. The command reorganized into Air Force Materiel Command post-1947; direct UFO role ended with Blue Book in 1969.