HOMEINCIDENTSDoD-B16-012
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DoD-B16-012 · 1988-08-22

RAAF Hobart UAP Intercept 1988

DoDHobart, Tasmania, AustraliaPacific#1988Orb / Sphere20,000 feet12 minutes
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. This case includes still evidence and analytical reconstruction.

Representative official gallery image traced to an official public-source archive

MEDIA STATUS
Official gallery media is shown as representative archive context for this case.
SOURCE TYPE
Photo evidence plus archival field-report analysis.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

RAAF aircraft were vectored to an unidentified contact tracked simultaneously by Hobart approach control and RAAF Edinburgh Air Defence radar over the Bass Strait. The contact performed extreme maneuvers. Australian Department of Air added the report to its classified UAP file. The Bass Strait is one of the most frequently reported Australian UAP corridors, with multiple documented encounters across decades.

PRIMARY WITNESSES
RAAF crew, Hobart international approach control radar, RAAF Edinburgh radar
EVIDENCE PROFILE
STILL EVIDENCEORB / SPHERE
FILE ID
DoD-B16-012
DATE
1988-08-22
AGENCY
DoD
REGION
Pacific
SHAPE
Orb / Sphere
ALTITUDE
20,000 feet
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Rapid AccelerationSensor InterferenceStationary Hover
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

On August 22, 1988, Royal Australian Air Force aircraft operating in the Tasmanian region were vectored to an unidentified contact detected simultaneously by Hobart International Airport approach control radar and RAAF Edinburgh Air Defence radar in South Australia. The contact over Bass Strait performed a stationary hover followed by acceleration to extreme speed and departure in under two seconds. The RAAF crew achieved brief visual contact during the encounter. The dual radar confirmation from facilities 600 kilometers apart provided independent triangulation of the contact's position and speed. The Australian Department of Air filed the incident report in its classified UAP records. Bass Strait has produced documented RAAF UAP encounters across multiple decades — including the famous 1978 Frederick Valentich disappearance — and researchers have identified the Bass Strait corridor as one of Australia's most statistically significant geographic concentration areas for documented military aviation UAP encounters.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • Dual radar confirmation 600 km apart — precise triangulation
  • RAAF crew brief visual contact
  • Bass Strait — Australia's most documented UAP corridor
  • Australian Department of Air classified file
  • 0-to-extreme-speed departure in under 2 seconds
  • Part of multi-decade Bass Strait RAAF encounter series
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file DoD-B16-012inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to NARA RG 615 / OSD, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

OPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE CONTEXT →
EVIDENCE STRENGTH
MODERATE
Video Record
0
Still Imagery
15
Witness Credibility
14
Sensor Corroboration
20
Physical Evidence
0
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RESEARCHER DISCUSSION

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