Britain shuts down UFO-hunting unit

Dec 04, 2009

The British government has shut a unit which has investigated UFO sightings for more than 50 years, judging its resources better spent on more earthly threats, it said Friday.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) closed down a hotline and an email address to which sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) could be reported on December 1.

"The MoD has no opinion on the existence or otherwise of extra-terrestrial life. However, in over 50 years, no UFO report has revealed any evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom," it said in a statement.

"The MoD has no specific capability for identifying the nature of such sightings. There is no defence benefit in such investigation and it would be an inappropriate use of defence resources," it added.

An MoD employee whose job was to investigate reports has been moved to another post.

"Our resources are focused on the top priority -- the frontline in Afghanistan. Any legitimate threat to the UK's airspace will spotted by our 24/7 checks and dealt with by Royal Air Force fighter aircraft," said a spokesman.

(c) 2009 AFP

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User comments : 7

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Mercury_01
not rated yet Dec 04, 2009
No threat, but a presence in restricted airspace over nuclear facilities...
patnclaire
1 / 5 (1) Dec 04, 2009
I guess the money's better spent in East Anglia. I hear the climate center there is in need of resources. Notice the carefully worded legalese, "...no UFO report has revealed any evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom..." Mercury 01 is correct. No threat but an unauthorized and unexplained presence.
This is a very distaff reaction...ignore the bully and he will go away....
Even better is the bi-polar reaction...What UFOs? If I do not acknowledge them, then they do not exist.
danman5000
not rated yet Dec 04, 2009
An MoD employee whose job was to investigate UFO reports has been moved to another post.

Sounds like they didn't care very much to begin with, if they only had one dude on the team.
dirk_bruere
not rated yet Dec 04, 2009
So, Aurora and new Stealth are not longer flying from UK airbases?
otto1923
5 / 5 (1) Dec 04, 2009
The MoD is infested with reptilians anyways
COCO
not rated yet Dec 07, 2009
excellent - now to stop funding the 911 truthers - 'bout time the Brits stopped believing in elves - Santa
Mercury_01
not rated yet Dec 08, 2009
Aurora has long been decommissioned.

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