The Calvine UFO

The Calvine UFO (also known as The Calvine Sighting, The Calvine Photograph, The Pitlochry Thing, The Perthshire UFO and other similar terms) was a reported sighting of an unidentified flying object (UFO) near the hamlet of Calvine in Perthshire, Scotland in August 1990.

The only extant original photograph of the Calvine UFO - courtesy of Craig Lindsay / Sheffield Hallam University

The sighting was originally reported to the Daily Record, a Glasgow-based tabloid newspaper, by two men who claimed that they witnessed an unknown diamond-shaped craft hovering above the hillside while walking near Calvine on 4 August 1990. They reported seeking shelter under some nearby trees from where they watched the craft over a period of several minutes and took six photographs while it hovered silently above the moorland in front of them. The craft was then approached by a fighter jet before ascending vertically and disappearing from view.

The two witnesses later told their story to the Daily Record and handed over their prints and original negatives, which were later passed on to the Ministry of Defence. The original negatives and prints subsequently disappeared and the story was not published by the Daily Record. The identity of the witnesses remains unknown despite efforts to locate them by investigative journalist David Clarke.

In the following years, reports of the sighting and rumours of the photograph gradually surfaced, and the case gained public interest. Partial documentation released by the Ministry of Defence in The National Archives in 2009 helped provide further insight into the sighting and attracted more attention. This ultimately led to the discovery of an original photographic image of the reported craft by Clarke, which was subsequently published in the British-based tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail on Saturday 13 August 2022, with an online release the night before. The publication of the image led to significant media coverage, with some outlets considering it to be the "clearest" or "the best" UFO image ever taken.

Historical Background

The existence of the Calvine photographs was first reported by former Ministry of Defence desk officer Nick Pope in his 1996 book Open Skies, Closed Minds which outlines his time working on UFO sightings for the MoD from 1991 to 1994.

In the book, Pope briefly describes the Calvine sighting, stating that two men observed a diamond-shaped object hovering for about 10 minutes before it ascended vertically at high speed, with one of the men capturing photographs of the object and a nearby fighter jet, which appeared to approach it. The images were sent to the MoD for analysis, which reportedly concluded the photos were authentic, though the case was ultimately closed with the object marked as unexplained.

In an April 2001 interview with David Clarke, Pope added that MoD analysts determined the object to be a "solid craft", about the size of a Harrier fighter jet. MoD reportedly concluded that there were no indications the images were a hoax.

Release of MOD Files

Despite Pope's discussion of the incident sighting in his book, it gained little public attention until 2008, when the MoD released its archive of UFO reports as part of its 'open government' initiative. David Clarke was involved in overseeing the release of these files.

Among the released documents were materials related to the Calvine sighting, including a briefing from the MoD Secretariat Air Staff and a handwritten summary from a Sec(AS)2 officer. Additionally, two low-quality photocopies of cropped versions of the original photographs were included. These photocopies, known as "VuFoils," appeared in records from DI55, a branch within the MoD's Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence that dealt with missiles and air defence analysis.

Clarke later wrote The UFO Files, which explored various UFO sightings documented in the MoD archives, including the Calvine incident. The released documents on the Calvine UFO were publicized through Clarke’s blog.

One of two poor quality photocopies of 'VuFoils' (images on transparent plastic) made from the Calvine UFO Photograph, released by the UK National Archives in 2009

2015 Channel 5 Documentary

The release of information from the National Archives, along with publicity from Clarke and Pope, renewed public interest in the case. In 2015, the incident was featured in the sixth episode of the Channel 5 documentary series Conspiracy.

The episode, titled Alien Cover-Up, included interviews with Clarke and Pope. Pope also worked with a graphic artist to recreate the Calvine photograph based on his recollection and photocopies from the UK National Archives. This reconstructed image was later republished in various media outlets, including HuffPost. Pope has since discussed the incident, speculating on potential links to the alleged Aurora project.

Discovery of the Calvine Photograph

In 2018, Clarke renewed his investigation into the sighting, seeking to locate the missing photographs and the witnesses. His interest was sparked by a Defence Intelligence Officer’s claim that the witnesses had photographed a classified U.S. black project platform. This source suggested the platform had been flown from RAF Machrihanish, escorted by UK and U.S. aircraft, and the photos had been kept out of the public domain.

Clarke and a team of researchers, including Matthew Illsley, Giles Stevens, Straiph Wilson and Andrew Robinson, conducted a public search and published updates throughout 2020 and 2021. In 2020, Wilson also launched a search for the witnesses via a local newspaper, and in April 2024 successfully identified one of the witnesses, a man by the name of Kevin Russell, whose name was found handwritten on the back of the famous photograph. Russell initially denied involvement but later admitted to being the person whose name was written on the photograph. Despite his admission, Russell maintained that he was not directly involved in the UFO incident. Clarke's search led to retired RAF Press Officer Craig Lindsay, who had handled the original witness report in 1990. Lindsay had kept a print of the photograph for more than 32 years, which he provided to Clarke. Clarke passed the image onto a photographic specialist at Sheffield Hallam Univeristy, Andrew Robinson, who produced high-resolution copies and conducted an analysis of the image, resulting in a detailed report. The print, along with photocopies Lindsay made in order to fax the photograph to the MoD, and the original envelope he recieved it in, was donated to Sheffield Hallam University’s Special Collections. Clarke published the photograph, Craig Lindsay's eyewitness account and the relusts of Robinson's anlaysis in an article for MailOnline on 12 August 2022 which published in the Daily Mail, the following day. The publication of the image by the Mail sparked worldwide interest in the Calvine story reuslting in the photograph and Lindsay's eyewitness account being republished by numerous news outlets. Clarke and his research team later discussed the discovery in an online Q&A hosted by UFO podcast 'The Disclosure Team'.

The Calvine UFO in Popular Culture

A collectors' model of the Calvine UFO has been produced by UK-based model maker Cosmic Prints, alongside models of other notable craft linked to well-known UFO sightings.