Navy Pilot Chases UFO Near Nowra Australia in 1952

On a clear night in August 1952 Lieutenant Commander M. O. Smith flying a Hawker Sea Fury from the Royal Australian Navy carrier HMAS Sydney was directed by ground radar controllers at Nowra to investigate an unidentified aerial contact.

The object appeared on multiple radar screens traveling at speeds exceeding the performance limits of contemporary aircraft.

Smith visually acquired the target which he described as a bright light that maneuvered sharply to avoid his approach.

As he closed in the object accelerated rapidly and climbed out of sight leaving the experienced naval aviator unable to pursue.

Official Royal Australian Navy records logged the event as an unidentified flying object with no conventional explanation identified.

The incident remains one of the better documented early military UFO encounters in Australia supported by both pilot testimony and radar data.