When you think of 10 UFO incidents over American military installations, you picture the most spine‑tingling, head‑scratching moments ever recorded. From glittering silver discs to red‑glowing saucers that apparently disabled nuclear missiles, the stories from United States Air Force bases read like a sci‑fi thriller, yet they are documented accounts that still puzzle investigators.
10 18 Silver Discs Hover Over Nellis AFB October 1951
In the autumn of 1951, deep inside Nevada’s secretive Yucca Flat—an area earmarked for nuclear testing—several service members reported spotting eighteen glittering, rotating discs hovering silently for roughly fifteen minutes. The event, kept under wraps until 1964, suffers from hazy recollections, with the exact date fluctuating between October 22 and October 30, and the sighting time ranging from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m., just before a scheduled nuclear detonation.
One primary witness, a 19‑year‑old identified only as “Mr. M,” also claimed to have seen several strange, fleeting creatures in the vicinity, which evaporated as quickly as they appeared. The metallic objects maintained a tight, soundless formation before vanishing in a matter of seconds.
Nellis Air Force Base has logged numerous UFO sightings over the decades, but this particular episode stands out, especially because a related incident would erupt more than ten years later, deepening the mystery surrounding the base’s aerial phenomena.
While the details remain sketchy due to the delayed report, the sheer number of discs and the simultaneous creature sightings make this a cornerstone case in the annals of military‑linked UFO lore.
10 UFO Incidents Overview
9 UFO Crashes In Nellis AFB April 1962
Newspaper articles from the era, coupled with later investigations by UFO researchers, reveal that an enigmatic craft plummeted onto Nellis Air Force Base on the night of April 18, 1962. The object’s journey began over the Atlantic, skimming New York, then sweeping across Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona before abruptly ending in a spectacular “brilliant red explosion” reported by the Las Vegas Sun.
Project Blue Book files later hinted at a possible cover‑up. An original radar entry marking an unidentified contact was retroactively altered to “insufficient data,” with no explanatory note. Moreover, the official record claimed there were “no visual” sightings, a clear contradiction to the vivid eyewitness accounts.
Rumors of scrambled Air Force jets attempting to intercept the object further fueled the intrigue, cementing this crash as one of the most mystifying UFO events in modern history.
8 UFO Deactivates Nukes At Malmstrom AFB March 1967
The Malmstrom incident is perhaps the most unsettling of all: on March 16, 1967, a luminous, red‑hued saucer hovered above the Montana installation. Captain Robert Salas observed the object for several minutes while multiple personnel also watched the eerie scene.
During that window, ten nuclear missiles under Salas’s supervision inexplicably went offline one after another. The craft then disappeared, leaving the missiles disabled for several hours before they spontaneously returned to operational status.
UFO scholars argue this was a deliberate demonstration of superiority, showcasing an intelligence capable of neutralizing the United States’ most powerful weapons. The episode remains officially unexplained.
7 Glowing Object Hovers Over Loring AFB October 1975
On the evening of October 27, 1975, personnel at Loring Air Force Base in Maine observed a luminous object hovering above the weapons storage area. The sighting occurred at approximately 7:45 p.m., and the craft displayed a single red beacon alongside a white strobe on its underside.
Witness Danny Lewis recounted that the object circled the base repeatedly before settling directly over the concealed weapons unit, where it lingered for roughly forty minutes before ascending and vanishing into the night.
Remarkably, the following evening the same phenomenon reappeared at almost the identical time, repeating the same circular pattern and hover. After several weeks of heightened alert and additional sightings, the mysterious activity abruptly ceased.
6 ‘Cat And Mouse’ UFO Chase Over Cannon AFB January 1976
On January 21, 1976, a student journalist known only as “Bruce” was testing radio transmitters overlooking Cannon Air Force Base when he noticed a string of lights resembling “bulbs on a string.” Through binoculars, the lights resolved into saucer‑shaped objects with a red glow emanating from their undersides.
One craft stayed stationary while two others swooped down toward the ground before moving over a nearby town, where streetlights appeared to dim sequentially as the UFOs passed. Bruce returned the next night, this time with fellow journalists positioned on rooftops. Just before 1:00 a.m., four glowing objects reappeared, prompting the scramble of several F‑111 jets.
Despite the fighter interception, the aerial intruders evaded capture, disappearing vertically within seconds after a 45‑minute chase. Freedom‑of‑Information Act requests later confirmed multiple F‑111s were indeed launched, and Bruce reported receiving unsettling warnings after publicly discussing the event.
5 Red Object Over Ellsworth AFB August 1953
On the evening of August 5, 1953, residents of Blackhawk, South Dakota, witnessed a glowing red craft heading toward Ellsworth Air Force Base. Many of the witnesses were seasoned members of the Ground Observer Corps, lending credibility to their reports.
Volunteer observer Mrs. Kellian promptly filed a sighting with base radar operators, who confirmed the object on their screens and dispatched personnel for visual confirmation. An aircraft already on patrol was redirected to intercept, but as it approached, the UFO accelerated away, evading capture. A second jet also scrambled, only to meet the same outcome.
The Air Force ultimately classified the phenomenon as “unknown,” with no further official investigation, leaving the case shrouded in mystery.
4 Alien Battle Over McChord AFB October 1972
In October 1972, two airmen—Steven Briggs and Dennis Hillsgeck—were stationed at the Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) facility adjacent to McChord Air Force Base when a high‑pitched whine alerted them to an overhead saucer‑shaped object. The craft descended rapidly, prompting the emergence of two humanoid figures that seemed intent on entering the facility.
The airmen called for backup, and after roughly fifteen minutes, a security police officer, Sergeant Darren Alexander, arrived with a canine unit. He observed both the craft and one of the beings on the ground. Reacting instinctively, Alexander drew his revolver and discharged six rounds at close range, after which the creature vanished, leaving the officer bewildered.
This dramatic encounter, revealed by former government agent Robert Collins in 2001, continues to divide UFO researchers, with skeptics questioning the veracity of the claims.
3 Abductee Crash‑Lands At Edwards AFB Summer 1971
In the summer of 1971, a startling incident unfolded near Edwards Air Force Base when a loud, otherworldly roar was followed by a fiery crash. Bystanders reported seeing three grey‑haired humanoids and a woman clad in a tight, pink jumpsuit amidst the wreckage.
Military trucks quickly sealed off the area, removing both the debris and the strange occupants. While the Air Force later claimed the crash involved a conventional military vehicle, UFO researcher Albert Rosales located the woman—identified as Lorraine Dvorak Cordini—and facilitated hypnotic regression sessions.
During regression, Lorraine described being abducted from her home, outfitted in the pink suit, and taken aboard a larger orbital ship for examination. She was then placed in a smaller craft, which crashed near Edwards, after which she awoke in a military hangar surrounded by large‑headed alien beings distinct from her captors. The story remains highly contested.
2 UFO Sighting Over Larson AFB December 1952
On December 22, 1952, an off‑duty technician driving toward Larson Air Force Base in Washington observed a vague, hat‑shaped object hovering above the installation. Intrigued, he pulled over, exited his vehicle, and obtained a steadier view of the craft.
The UFO performed breathtaking maneuvers, glowing brighter as its speed increased. At one point, the witness claimed the object rolled in mid‑air, exposing a red‑glowing underside. After hovering for roughly fifteen minutes, the technician resumed his journey, satisfied that nothing further was afoot.
1 UFO Incident Over Minot AFB October 1968
Unusual activity has long plagued Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, but the most striking episode occurred just after 2:00 a.m. on October 24, 1968. While performing “above‑ground security” for an underground operation, a small unit reported a massive glowing object hovering overhead.
Within minutes, multiple reports flooded in from various locations around the base, and the phenomenon persisted throughout the night. At approximately 3:30 a.m., a B‑52 bomber crew observed the craft, describing it as resembling a “miniature sun placed on the ground.”
Project Blue Book investigated the incident, but by that stage the program’s investigative vigor had waned. The sighting remains officially unexplained, though a whistle‑blower claimed a similar event two years earlier that allegedly caused the base’s nuclear missiles to shut down—an allegation the Air Force denied despite contemporary newspaper reports of frequent UFO sightings in the area.