AS it emerges reports of UFOs have surged during the pandemic, the Pentagon’s revelations concerning a swarm of mysterious craft have fuelled interest in the phenomenon.

What revelations?
The Pentagon has confirmed that a series of pictures and videos showing UFOs buzzing over US Navy warships off the coast of California, taken in 2019, are real and were taken by Navy personnel.

The photos were leaked?
Yes, from a Pentagon investigation of UFOs by a task force created to gather evidence for a report to be presented to Congress in June. The leaks included a night-vision video at sea, a series of grainy infrared pictures and smartphone pictures from the cockpit of an FA-18 fighter.

Some were thought to be drones?
One of the pictures appears to be pyramid-shaped, while others were thought by some to be drones or balloons, but the Navy listed them as “unknowns”. A Pentagon spokesman said: “I can confirm that the referenced photos and videos were taken by Navy personnel.”

The UFOs “chased” the ships?
Admiral Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, admitted days before the Pentagon confirmation that he has no idea where the swarm of mysterious UFOs came from. He led an investigation into the incident in which the craft chased the ships for up to 100 nautical miles off the coast of California in July 2019. Flight logs revealed up to six mystery aircraft swarmed the destroyers at speeds of up to 40mph. Asked if the Navy had confirmed the identity of the drones last week, Gilday said: “No, we have not.”

Reports overall have risen?
In New York alone, sightings of unidentified flying objects nearly doubled in 2020 from 2019, rising to around 300, according to files from the National UFO Reporting Centre (NUFIRC) in the United States. Across the country, they rose from around 1000 to 7,200.

Now?
For years, UFO enthusiasts have been calling for the Pentagon to open up its classified records about the encounters. In January, as part of a COVID-19 relief package, Congress set a deadline of June 1 for US intelligence agencies to release a report on what it knows on UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena. Former intelligence director, John Ratcliffe,  said in a recent interview: “Frankly, there are a lot more sightings than have been made public.”

It comes as?
A UK survey, commissioned by entertainment channel Blaze TV, last month found that 11 per cent of the British public think they have seen a UFO, 26% believe aliens exist and more than 50% believe intelligent life exists somewhere else in the universe.

Prince Philip was intrigued?
In a biography by his former aide, Sir Peter Horsley, it was revealed that the late Duke was interested in UFOs and collected books and reports on the subject.