Portuguese Frigate Mira UAP Encounter 1982

On July 22, 1982, the Portuguese Navy frigate Almirante Gago Coutinho (F-471) operating approximately 200 miles west of mainland Portugal in the North Atlantic tracked an unidentified contact on its navigation radar that subsequently manifested as a visually observable metallic disc at 200 feet altitude. The disc remained near the frigate for 28 minutes, performing slow circuits before making a rapid departure. The frigate's navigation radar showed anomalous ghost returns when the disc was in proximity — a behavior consistent with active electronic countermeasures or electromagnetic interference. NATO SACLANT (Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic) maritime surveillance command was notified of the contact. The Portuguese Navy filed a confidential report that became part of the official Portuguese military UAP documentation. The 1982 naval encounter, combined with the 1977 Air Force Faro incident, gives Portugal one of the more complete official dual-service UAP file collections among NATO nations.