On a misty evening in August 1990, two men hiking on the moors surrounding Calvine, Scotland, experienced what could only be described as the extraordinary. They claimed to have seen a giant diamond-shaped aircraft hovering above them, apparently without any means of propulsion and leaving no smoke plume behind. The craft was silent and static, seemingly frozen in time. Terrified, the hikers hit the ground and scrambled for cover behind a tree.
Then, out of nowhere, a Harrier fighter jet roared onto the scene, circling the diamond as if sizing it up for confrontation. One of the men, working as a chef at Fisher's Hotel, seized the opportunity to snap several photographs just before the bizarre craft shot away vertically and vanished from sight.
After returning from their hike, the men decided to share their unusual encounter and sent the photographs to the Daily Record newspaper. Craig Lindsay, then press officer at the RAF base about 50 miles away, received the images from the Record's picture editor, who recognized the clarity of the photographs as something extraordinary. Lindsay forwarded the best image to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which requested the additional photographs and negatives for investigation.
The MoD instructed Lindsay to contact the hikers, who described the diamond-shaped object and the Harrier jet to him over the phone. They insisted the craft levitated eerily without noise, then accelerated with no visible propellant. Despite the intrigue, the MoD later concluded there was no evidence of deceit surrounding the photographs but could not determine the identity of the diamond-shaped craft.
For decades, the puzzling case faded from public view, only to resurface dramatically due to the efforts of Professor David Clarke, an investigative journalist. Clarke stumbled upon the Calvine UFO incident during his research, when he uncovered documents related to the sighting. He discovered notes indicating the MoD was aware of the incident and speculated the unidentified craft could have been an experimental US aircraft. This tantalizing hypothesis captured the public’s imagination once again.
Clarke's findings and the story sparked renewed interest, reminding enthusiasts and skeptics alike of the enduring mysteries surrounding unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP). According to Nick Pope, former civil servant at the MoD, the department's analysis deemed the photographs legitimate: "The consensus was … reasonably large-sized object," he noted. The case was left open with the MoD stating, "object unexplained, case closed, no action."
Meanwhile, the identity of the hikers remained elusive, but speculation ramped up when Richard Grieve, who worked with them at Fisher’s Hotel, recalled suspicious circumstances after the sighting. Grieve recounted how men dressed in dark suits confronted the hikers shortly after their encounter, leading them to believe they were being watched. According to Grieve, the two men seemed terrified afterward and disappeared without a trace weeks later, which has fueled conspiracy theories surrounding the incident.
Currently, the mystery continues to entrap the public’s curiosity, and questions abound: What did those hikers really see? Why has the MoD kept silent on the findings of their investigations? Did the witnesses experience something alien, or is there another explanation for the strange craft?
Clarke encourages the hikers or anyone else who may know about the event to come forward: “It is the 35th anniversary of what has been described as the best UFO photo ever taken. Now is the time to come forward and tell us what really happened.” The allure of the Calvine UFO incident serves as a reminder of humanity’s quest for answers about the unknown lurking above us.
So, as the skies darken each night, we are left to ponder: What other secrets might they hold? With the case of the Calvine UFO still shrouded in mystery, the truth remains out there—waiting to be unveiled. Could it be time for the MoD to release all findings from 1990 and allow the public access to the truth about their extraordinary investigation?