Aberdeen Proving Ground Disc Observation 1966

On August 19, 1966, US Army test engineers and range personnel at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland — one of the Army's most important weapons evaluation facilities — observed a metallic disc-shaped craft hovering at 8,000 feet above the active artillery and explosives test areas. The craft performed slow circuit maneuvers before departing at high speed to the south. Aberdeen radar tracked an unidentified contact. Army intelligence was notified given the facility's sensitivity. The case was reported through Army intelligence channels and subsequently forwarded to Project Blue Book, which included it in its review of 1966 military facility encounters. Aberdeen Proving Ground's role in testing chemical and conventional munitions gave the encounter heightened security significance.