Eglin AFB is located on the western edge of Choctawhatchee Bay in Florida, just east of Gulf Breeze, Florida, a major UFO hot-spot. In 1976, UFOs were spotted over the base's Armament Development and Test Center, just like it happened in Loring AFB in 1975.
After the Lorign AFB incidents (a weapon storage area was overflown by an unidentified "helicopter", "low flying aircraft" "UFO" - depending on the wording of the declassified documents), responsible people were required to check for "temperature inversions" when UFOs were sighted. Layers of air with strong gradients of temperature can explain more or less diffuse slow radar echoes. They are also sometimes falsely believed to explain visual sightings as "mirages."
N M C C
THE NATIONAL MILITARY COMMAND CENTER
WASHINGTON D.C. 20301
THE JOINT STAFF
31 January 1976
1400 EST
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
Subject: Unidentified Flying Object Sighting
1. At 310805 received phoncon from AFOC: MG Lane, CG, Armament and Development Test Center, Eglin AFB, Florida called and reported a UFO sighting from 0430 EST to 0600 EST. Security Policemen spotted lights from what they called a UFO near an Eglin radar site.
2. Photographs of the lights were taken. The Eglin Office of Information has made a press release on the UFO.
3. The temperature inversion analysis indicated no significant temperature inversion at Eglin AFB at that time. The only inversion present was due from radiation from the surface to 2500 feet. The Eglin surface conditions were clear skies, visibility 10-15 miles, calm winds, shallow ground fog on the runway, and a surface temperature of 44 degree F.
[Signed]
FRED A. TREYZ
Brigadier General, USAF
Deputy Director for
Operations (NMCC)
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