Project Condign (not to be confused with the

Condon Committee The Condon Committee was the informal name of the University of Colorado UFO Project, a group funded by the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1968 at the University of Colorado to study unidentified flying objects under the direction of physi ...

) was a secret

unidentified flying object An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are Ide ...

(UFO) study undertaken by the British Government's Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) between 1997 and 2000.Simpson, Mark (2006-05-07)
UFO study finds no sign of aliens
, BBC News The results of Project Condign were compiled into a 400-page document titled ''Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region'' that drew on approximately 10,000

sightings Discovery is the act of detecting something new, or something previously unrecognized as meaningful. With reference to sciences and academic disciplines, discovery is the observation of new phenomena, new actions, or new events and providing ne ...

and reports that had been gathered by the DI55, a section of the Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence (DSTI) within the DIS.Randerson, James (2006-09-25
Is there anybody out there? How the men from the ministry hid the hunt for UFOs
The Guardian (2007-12-02) It was released into the public domain on 15 May 2006 after a September 2005

Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...

request by UFO researchers Dr David Clarke, a lecturer at

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate ...

, and Gary Anthony, a former

BUFORA The British UFO Research Association or BUFORA is a UK organisation formerly registered as "BUFORA Ltd"; dedicated to investigating UFO phenomena in the British Isles. In 1997 the organisation was reported to have around 1,000 members. History ...

astronomical consultant. The identity of the report's author/s was not made public.

Conclusions

UFOs

The report concluded that UFOs had an observable presence that was “indisputable”, but also that no evidence has been found to suggest they are "hostile or under any type of control". ”Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region”, Defence Intelligence Staff (2000) According to its author/s the majority of analyzed UFO sightings can be explained by the misidentification of common objects such as aircraft and balloons, while the remaining unexplainable reports were most likely the result of a supernormal meteorological phenomena not fully understood by modern science. This phenomenon is referred to in the report as "Buoyant Plasma Formation," akin to

Ball Lightning Ball lightning is a rare and unexplained phenomenon described as luminescent, spherical objects that vary from pea-sized to several meters in diameter. Though usually associated with thunderstorms, the observed phenomenon is reported to last ...

, and is hypothesized to produce an unexplained energy field which creates the appearance of a Black Triangle by refracting light. The electromagnetic fields generated by plasma phenomena are also hypothesized to explain reports of close encounters due to inducing perceptual alterations or

hallucinations A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinati ...

in those affected. The Condign report suggests that further research into "novel military applications" of this plasma phenomenon is warranted, and that "the implications have already been briefed to the relevant MoD technology managers." The report also notes that scientists in the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

have identified the close connection between the '

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are ide ...

Phenomena' and Plasma technologies," and are "pursuing related techniques for potential military purposes."

Close encounters

The report described people who believed themselves to have had close encounters as being convinced of what they said that they had seen or experienced, but also as not representing proof that such encounters were real. It attributed a number of cases to the “close proximity of plasma related fields” which it said could “adversely affect a vehicle or person".

Reaction

According to Clarke, the release of the documents did not shed any new light on UFOs or the UFO phenomenon, but did show that the DIS had been conducting a far larger investigation of the topic than it had previously revealed. Due to the secret nature of the report, it was apparently not subject to peer review, and it has been suggested that the "buoyant plasma" hypothesis would not have withstood independent scrutiny.

References

External links

UAP in the UK Air Defence Region
Full Text, Executive Summary and Volumes 1-3

from Clarke and Anthony
Could we have hitched a ride on UFOs?
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', February 22, 2007
It's Official: UFOs Are Just UAPs
by Nigel Watson,

Wired.com ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

{{UFOs Government responses to UFOs Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) UFO sightings in the United Kingdom 1997 establishments in England 2000 disestablishments in England