 Fence at the site of the former East Gate of RAF Woodbridge, where the incident began in December 1980. The original East Gate was much smaller.[1] | |
| Date | 26 December and 28 December 1980 |
|---|---|
| Time | 03:00 GMT (23:00 EDT) |
| Location | Suffolk, England |
| Coordinates | 52°05′20″N 01°26′57″E / 52.08889°N 1.44917°E |
| Also known as | Britain's Roswell |
The Rendlesham Forest incident was a series of reported sightings of unexplained lights near Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk, England, in December 1980, which became linked with UFO landings. The events occurred just outside RAF Woodbridge, which was used at the time by the United States Air Force (USAF). USAF personnel, including deputy base commander Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt, claimed to see things they described as a UFO.
The occurrence is the most famous of alleged UFO events to have happened in the United Kingdom,[2] and is among the best-known reported UFO events worldwide. It has been compared to the Roswell UFO incident in the United States and is sometimes called "Britain's Roswell".[3]
The UK Ministry of Defence has stated that the event posed no threat to national security, and therefore, it was never investigated as a security matter. Skeptics have explained the sightings as a misinterpretation of a series of nocturnal lights: a fireball, the Orfordness Lighthouse, and bright stars.[4]
- ^ Ridpath, Ian. "Rendlesham Forest photo album". Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "UFO files: Rendlesham Forest incident remains Britain's most tantalising sighting". The Telegraph. 21 June 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ "Minister warned over 'UK Roswell'". BBC News. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ Ridpath, Ian. "The Rendlesham Forest UFO case". IanRidpath.com. Retrieved 17 April 2007.