Fort Bragg 82nd Airborne Encounter 1980

On November 3, 1980, Fort Bragg, North Carolina — home of the 82nd Airborne Division, US Army Special Forces, and Delta Force — experienced a close-range UAP intrusion. An unidentified disc-shaped object was observed by soldiers at extremely low altitude, estimated at 200 feet, performing a sustained hover over the installation's most restricted areas housing special operations forces. Military Police units in vehicles attempted to intercept or position themselves beneath the craft but reported complete failure of their vehicle radio systems and personal communications. Individual soldiers also reported compass failures and watch malfunction during the overflight. The craft illuminated the ground with a bright white beam. The post commander convened an emergency response and subsequently filed a classified report under JANAP-146 protocols. The timing — just weeks after the incidents at Kirtland AFB and the same year as the Rendlesham Forest events in England — added to a pattern of Special Operations and sensitive facility intrusions that AATIP researchers subsequently documented.