RAF pilots ordered to shoot down UFOs

Royal Air Force pilots have tried to shoot UFOs out of the sky under a top secret Government directive, it was claimed last night.

Nick Pope — who worked on the UK Ministry of Defence's UFO desk for three years — revealed the rules of engagement for the first time.

As described in The Sun, he claimed RAF pilots had fired at UFOs on several occasions — but failed to bring them down.

He added: "We know of cases where the order has been given to shoot down — with little effect to the UFO."

Mr Pope said the rules of engagement were drawn up after dozens of close encounters with suspect craft in British airspace.

RAF attacks on UFOs were "not automatic but happen when something in our airspace is deemed to be a threat".

He explained: "In the case of UFOs, whether the object is causing a threat is very much a (pilot’s) judgment call."

Mr Pope, 43, from London, said the "shoot down" orders had been issued under the highly-classified directive since the beginning of the 1980s.

He believes a pattern has emerged in incidents already publicised in the UK and abroad.

When a UFO is thought to be threatening a country's airspace, the drastic action has been taken.

He said: "There was a faction in the MoD who said 'We want to shoot down a UFO and that will resolve the issue one way or another'."