UFO alert: Welsh police spot 'unusual aircraft'

[efq]

LONDON (AFP) - UFO enthusiasts got a boost Friday when Welsh police confirmed that one of their helicopter crews had spotted an "unusual aircraft" flying over Cardiff earlier this month. An investigation into the sighting had been launched, they said.

The police clarification came after The Sun reported a UFO had "attacked" a police helicopter, following it for several miles over the Bristol Channel. "The pilot banked sharply to avoid being hit, then launched into a high-speed pursuit. But he was forced to give up the chase as the helicopter's fuel ran low -- and the UFO escaped," the tabloid reported. The helicopter crew had described the object as "flying saucer-shaped and circled by flashing lights," it added.
"Err... " not so, said the police.
"South Wales Police can confirm its air support unit sighted an unusual aircraft. This was reported to the relevant authorities for their investigation," police said in a brief statement, avoiding the use of the term 'UFO', or unidentified flying object.
At the time of the incident, the helicopter with three men on board was waiting to land at the St Athan RAF base near Cardiff. The sighting reportedly took place at 00:40 am (23:40 GMT) on June 8.
South Wales Police denied there was a pursuit and indicated that the helicopter crew was never in any danger.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080620/tuk-britain-police-ufo-offbeat-a7ad41d.html

[jesus]

Pics or it didn't happen.


"Err... " not so, said the police.

I don't understand this! :(

[Decode]

Pics or it didn't happen.



I don't understand this! :(
http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/afp/20080620/15/3035307539-ufo-alert-welsh-police-spot-unusual-aircraft.jpg?x=436&y=275&q=75&sig=7BFLCJ28h7NOxRT3nI7uxQ--

From the yahoo page.

It doesnt look like a UFO it just looks like a light :S

[Jord]

looks like a cloud.

[efq]

looks like a cloud.
lol clouds dont flash and fly at you :D

[PaintYourTarget]

It was near RAF St Athan and Wales is a popular ground for test flights, probably just them running some prototypes or something.

[GommeInc]

http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/afp/20080620/15/3035307539-ufo-alert-welsh-police-spot-unusual-aircraft.jpg?x=436&y=275&q=75&sig=7BFLCJ28h7NOxRT3nI7uxQ--

From the yahoo page.

It doesnt look like a UFO it just looks like a light :S
That's a picture from a sighting many years ago, apparently this Welsh UFO was recent, but with no pics.

[Moh]

And in other news, a double decker bus was found at the south pole.

They prob went off course and blamed a "ufo".

[Beauty]

i saw a wierd thing in the sky once, i was scared tbh LOL.

[mike475]

http://d.yimg.com/i/ng/ne/afp/20080620/15/3035307539-ufo-alert-welsh-police-spot-unusual-aircraft.jpg?x=436&y=275&q=75&sig=7BFLCJ28h7NOxRT3nI7uxQ--

From the yahoo page.

It doesnt look like a UFO it just looks like a light :S
"This photo from 1974 taken onboard a plance shows an unusual light phenomenon in the..."

was there really a bus at south pole lol?

[Moh]

was there really a bus at south pole lol?
Nope, they have cooler buses :(
http://www.autocult.com.au/img/gallery/CARmageddon2811.jpg

[N-Dubz]

Why do we always think a spaceship has to be a flying saurcer and aliens have big massive eyes and green bodies, we're so caught up on looking for what we think are aliens we probably wont find the real ones.
Its so pathetic how obsessed we are about proving there's life away from earth. Why would an Alien come to Earth pmsl?

[Calvin]

Interesting. :O

[xxMATTGxx]

It was near RAF St Athan and Wales is a popular ground for test flights, probably just them running some prototypes or something.

Who do we think we are? Area 51? I hardly think this country or even at an RAF base they will do some flight testing :P Well not UFO type objects. Then again you never know. Sounds interesting.

[HotelUser]

The fact that it is triangular is cool. Sometimes triangular crafts like this fly over Nova Scotia. Nobody really knows where they come from but I suspect military testing.

[Monopoly]

I'm not going to look much into UFOs and Aliens until it's a act that they exist tbh.
Everything up until we meet one imo is conspiricy.

[Corporal]

It was near RAF St Athan and Wales is a popular ground for test flights, probably just them running some prototypes or something.
The RAF dont make there own planes so no.

[cocaine]

Who do we think we are? Area 51? I hardly think this country or even at an RAF base they will do some flight testing :P Well not UFO type objects. Then again you never know. Sounds interesting.

You managed to contradict yourself in the same post. :rolleyes:

But yeah, UFO sightings are reported each year. Just for a laugh, if If I was head of defense I'd send a few UFO type aircraft out.

[Crimson]

I do think there is something out there.. but you must wonder why they would come to our planet. Unless you can bear in mind the thought that 'aliens' could be visiting every planet. I love talking about it with an open mind, it's a great subject.

I've totally shat myself once before though. There was a circle of green lights that flew over, but it was silent.. And it moved really fast as if it was like inspecting the fields (we miles of fields behind our house) - but it was really high up. My dad said that once he walked out of his friends house after a party (so he was a little tipsy) and a really really bright spotlight shined on him from nowhere.. he was really worked up about it though. My mum said he didn't go out of the house for like a week.

It's all freaky tbh.

[PaintYourTarget]

Who do we think we are? Area 51? I hardly think this country or even at an RAF base they will do some flight testing :P Well not UFO type objects. Then again you never know. Sounds interesting.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Boeing_X-45A_UCAV.jpg
That's a Boeing tech demonstator, looks pretty UFO/flying saucer. They might have developed it from a Demo to a fully functional UAV which the UK would want to test before buying... The UAV theory is that it was a UAV from the Airbase on an Automated course which accidently clipped the helicopter and followed it's programming to get as far away from the "enemy" aircraft to prevent being shot down - hense the ensuing "airchase".
Or, another nation Spying on us. Russia likes sending planes over.


The RAF dont make there own planes so no.
So, we can't take planes that BAE Systems, for example, are manufactoring and let our Pilots loose on them? Seeing as y'know, it'll be our pilots flying them and needing to train on them.
Wales is mostly countryside and that's as good a place as any to let Pilots fly planes which we don't want revealed to the public. So, actually, yes.

Though, if the Helicopter was landing at this airbase, they should know what other sorties are flying from it, and if there was a valid reason for the near miss then I don't know why they reported it to the Papers and the like.

[Joshuae]

It was near RAF St Athan and Wales is a popular ground for test flights, probably just them running some prototypes or something.

St Athens doesn't test-fly actually...
It's a military air-reserve/training base, although hosts a lot of jets. ;)

Test flights for new planes in Wales, are towards Powas, and up north and alot by Pembrokeshire nowhere near Cardiff.

[PaintYourTarget]

St Athens doesn't test-fly actually...
It's a military air-reserve/training base, although hosts a lot of jets. ;)

Test flights for new planes in Wales, are towards Powas, and up north and alot by Pembrokeshire nowhere near Cardiff.
Aha, never knew that. Didn't get much time to research before I posted so.

[Joshuae]

Aha, never knew that. Didn't get much time to research before I posted so.

Be sure to next time. ;)

[PaintYourTarget]

Be sure to next time. ;)
I was writing it quickly before going out to work, hoping people wouldn't look too deep into it...

There's an interesting discusson on it, here (http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread364833/pg1).

[Corporal]

So, we can't take planes that BAE Systems, for example, are manufactoring and let our Pilots loose on them? Seeing as y'know, it'll be our pilots flying them and needing to train on them.
Wales is mostly countryside and that's as good a place as any to let Pilots fly planes which we don't want revealed to the public. So, actually, yes.

Though, if the Helicopter was landing at this airbase, they should know what other sorties are flying from it, and if there was a valid reason for the near miss then I don't know why they reported it to the Papers and the like.
Yes we can.
Were just not buying any new planes that are out in that stage of testing.

Also if it was then we would know because of ATC

[Joshuae]

Yes we can.
Were just not buying any new planes that are out in that stage of testing.

Also if it was then we would know because of ATC

You're an idiot.

MOD Authorises RAF to buy planes in testing. :rolleyes:

[Corporal]

You're an idiot.

MOD Authorises RAF to buy planes in testing. :rolleyes:
I never they didnt:s

[Joshuae]

Yes we can.
Were just not buying any new planes that are out in that stage of testing.

Also if it was then we would know because of ATC

:rolleyes:

Yes, I'm sure.

[Corporal]

:rolleyes:

Yes, I'm sure.
At the moment we are not.
So no i didnt.

[PaintYourTarget]

Who knows what we're buying and what we're not?
The U2, B2, F117, SR-71 and many other American aircraft were flying tests out of Groom Lake for years before they became public knowledge. There are many more they tested and didn't go on to buy, e.g the Northrop YF-23 was flown by American's and not bought as they went in favour of the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F22.

Also, the ATC frequencies for "Black" Aircraft would be secure, though I'm not too sure whether UAV's clock in with ATCs. Mistakes do happen with ATCs though, basic human errors can never be ruled out.

[Corporal]

Who knows what we're buying and what we're not?
The U2, B2, F117, SR-71 and many other American aircraft were flying tests out of Groom Lake for years before they became public knowledge. There are many more they tested and didn't go on to buy, e.g the Northrop YF-23 was flown by American's and not bought as they went in favour of the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F22.

Also, the ATC frequencies for "Black" Aircraft would be secure, though I'm not too sure whether UAV's clock in with ATCs. Mistakes do happen with ATCs though, basic human errors can never be ruled out.
All those examples you listed are in America.
We're on about the UK.
Also a UAV i imagine be in ATC.
But seeing as we only have 3 predetors which are on loan from America and are probs in constant use in Iraq and Afganistan atm.

[PaintYourTarget]

Because British examples are hard to come by. All the prototypes leading to the Harrier had to be tested and I'm sure we flew the Eurofighter before we bought ours, they're pretty triangular and mistaken for UFO's, as were the GR4's.

[Corporal]

Because British examples are hard to come by. All the prototypes leading to the Harrier had to be tested and I'm sure we flew the Eurofighter before we bought ours, they're pretty triangular and mistaken for UFO's, as were the GR4's.
Yep i know we did.
and im sure a majority of the test flights were in spain for them
oh and there would be clearance still of the test flights on ATC.
they also tend not to do them over places with population incase something goes wrong.
Face it, it wasnt military

[PaintYourTarget]

The vast proportion of UFO sightings are Military aircraft, and considering this was right next to a Military installation my skeptic alarm just goes straight off.
To be honest, I'd much rather it be new Military hardware than a UFO.
So no, I will not "face it" until the official report comes out, which will probably be way after the disclosure of the tech.

[Corporal]

lmao
so tell me this, if it could be military what about ATC?
What about the speed of it? should it be going faster?

[PaintYourTarget]

Let's go down to the original story, which in the article I read, doesn't actually mention anything about the speed of the craft.

Aswell as it saying it gave chase, yet...

South Wales Police said the helicopter did not give chase and described the crew as very experienced. The sighting has been reported for investigation.Also, it says it was reported to the relevant authorities, yet...

The MoD, which usually investigates UFO sightings, said: “We’ve heard nothing about this. But it is certainly not advisable for police helicopters to go chasing what they think are UFOs.”The Police Spokesman has even gone as far as to confirm that it was terrestrial...

"In today's skies, there are a wide variety of aircrafts which come in a range of different shapes and sizes and in all probability, this sighting has just confirmed that one of these was in the area at the relevant time," the spokesperson added.So, until I read the actual report from the Pilots and Spotters, I'm remaining skeptical.

I quite fancy seeing this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFL8hx-fLtc&feature=related) being explained...

[Abzii]

The UFO was a lantern! LOL
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7471724.stm

[Holofoil]

If I was a UFO, I wouldn't bother going to Cardiff.
It looks like God's foot poking out of a cloud?

[Mint]

If there where any top secret tests and the milatary didn't admit to it then the milatary would get in so much trouble. So I highly doubt it was a prototype being tested. I'd laugh if the helicopter thought it was being chased by a UFO but it was really just a friszby lol.

It was near RAF St Athan and Wales is a popular ground for test flights, probably just them running some prototypes or something.

[Monopoly]

Haha, Alan Carr talked about this on the Sunday Night project yesterday, was really funny. :)