U.S. government UAP program timeline

1948

1948

Project Sign

Project Sign was an early U.S. Air Force effort to collect and evaluate reports of flying discs and related aerial sightings. It followed the 1947 wave of public and military reports and established a formal military channel for intake, classification, and assessment.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1949

1951

Project Grudge

Project Grudge succeeded Project Sign and continued Air Force review of UFO reports. The program emphasized explanation and classification of reports through available intelligence, aircraft, balloon, astronomical, and misidentification categories.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1952

1969

Project Blue Book

Project Blue Book was the Air Force's long-running public UFO investigation program. It collected reports, evaluated sightings, and maintained case files that later became central to public understanding of government UFO records.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1950

1954

Project Magnet

Project Magnet was a Canadian government effort associated with Wilbert Smith and the Department of Transport. It examined flying saucer reports and possible physical explanations.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1949

1951

Project Twinkle

Project Twinkle investigated reports of green fireballs and aerial phenomena in the southwestern United States. Its work centered on observation, instrumentation, and correlation with military and scientific reporting.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1947

1949

Project Saucer

Project Saucer was the public-facing name used for early Air Force flying disc investigation work. It overlaps with the period around Project Sign and early Air Materiel Command handling of reports.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1953

1953

Robertson Panel

The Robertson Panel was a CIA-convened scientific advisory panel that reviewed UFO evidence and government handling of reports. It considered national security concerns around public reporting and official communication.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1966

1968

Condon Committee

The Condon Committee was the University of Colorado study funded by the Air Force to review UFO evidence and the value of continued investigation. Its final report became a major basis for ending Project Blue Book.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

2007

2012

AATIP

The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program is a later Department of Defense effort associated with UAP reporting and analysis. It is included for continuity between Cold War-era UFO programs and more recent UAP structures.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

2008

2010

AAWSAP

The Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program was a Defense Intelligence Agency effort that overlapped with later public discussion of AATIP. It examined aerospace threats and related topics under a government contract structure.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

2020

2022

UAPTF

The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force coordinated UAP reporting and analysis before AARO. It represents the transition from older UFO terminology toward the current UAP reporting framework.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

2022

present

AARO

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office is the current U.S. office for UAP reporting, analysis, and resolution. PURSUE source records frequently reference AARO as the receiving, reviewing, or release-coordinating body.

Curated project profile

93 linked records

2026

present

PURSUE

PURSUE is the release framework associated with the BlueBook Release 01 source records. In this site, PURSUE is treated as a release and disclosure program rather than a historical sighting investigation.

Curated project profile

161 linked records

1956

1980

NICAP

The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena was a civilian UFO research organization. It collected reports, publicized cases, and interacted with public debate around government records.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1952

1988

APRO

The Aerial Phenomena Research Organization was a civilian UFO research group that collected and circulated reports. It is relevant where source records cite civilian reporting, correspondence, or press material connected to APRO.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1969

present

MUFON

The Mutual UFO Network is a civilian UFO reporting and investigation organization. It appears in modern public UAP context more often than in early Air Force files.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

1973

present

CUFOS

The J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies is a civilian research organization founded after Hynek's Air Force consulting work. It is included for continuity with later civilian archival and research activity.

Curated project profile

0 linked records

2017

present

SCU

The Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies is a civilian and academic organization focused on UAP research. It belongs in the modern project index as a related external research body.

Curated project profile

0 linked records