US Navy Kodiak Alaska Disc Encounter 1950

On January 22, 1950, Kodiak Naval Air Station in Alaska became the site of a significant early Cold War UAP encounter when radar operators detected an unidentified contact performing high-speed maneuvers over the strategically vital base. Two Navy PBY patrol aircraft were airborne and crews visually acquired a large metallic disc executing maneuvers that included instantaneous direction reversals without any deceleration profile. The disc performed multiple high-speed circuits of the base before departing. The commanding officer of Kodiak NAS filed a formal intelligence report to the Office of Naval Intelligence. Consistent with Cold War practice for reports of unknown aerial contacts over military installations, the FBI was copied on the report — and the document subsequently appeared in the FBI Vault's UAP file collection, one of the earliest documented naval UAP encounters in Alaskan airspace. The technical detail of direction reversal without deceleration was highlighted in the intelligence report as inconsistent with any known aircraft.