The 1968 Minot AFB UAP Incursion: Declassified Project Blue Book and SAC Records

Tactical Engagement over North Dakota

On October 24, 1968, Minot Air Force Base (AFB) was the site of a high-priority security event involving an unidentified aerial object and the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Declassified Project Blue Book files and internal Air Force memos detail a radar-visual encounter that remains one of the most compelling cases in the official U.S. military archives. The incident involved both ground security personnel and the flight crew of a B-52 Stratofortress (callsign JAG 31).

The B-52 Encounter and Radar Correlation

As the B-52 was returning to the base, the crew was vectored by ground control toward an unidentified radar return. The pilot, Captain Bradford Oelrich, and the navigator, Lieutenant Robert Werlich, reported a large, glowing object that pace the aircraft. According to the declassified flight logs, the object was detected on the B-52's on-board radar as it performed maneuvers that exceeded the capabilities of any known 1960s-era aircraft. At one point, the object appeared to 'blink' from one position to another instantly, a phenomenon verified by the ground-based FPS-35 radar at the base's air defense sector.

Interference with Nuclear Command and Control

Simultaneously, security teams at the Minot missile silos (N-Flight) reported a large, luminous object hovering directly over the launch facilities. Reports filed by Master Sergeant Petrus and his team stated that as the object hovered, the 'Outer Security' alarms for several Minuteman missiles were triggered. Most notably, the communications links between the Launch Control Center and the missiles themselves experienced severe electromagnetic interference. The declassified 'Minot AFB Monthly History' report for October 1968 confirms that the security alert was real and that the 'object of unknown origin' was the primary cause of the mobilization.

Project Blue Book Investigation and The Black Vault Records

The Air Force's Project Blue Book officially investigated the case but eventually labeled it as 'star (Sirius)' or 'refractions.' However, the detailed radar data and witness statements found in the full case file—digitized and hosted by The Black Vault—contradict these simplistic conclusions. The files reveal that the technical data showed a solid, structured craft capable of intelligent response. The Minot AFB incident remains a primary example of UAP interference with nuclear infrastructure, a theme that continues to be discussed in modern Congressional UAP hearings.