According to one expert, the answer to one of Scotland’s most enduring UFO mysteries can be tracked to a warehouse in Lancashire.
Former BBC producer Simon Holland believes he has «solved» the legendary ‘Calvine Incident’, which occurred in Perthshire in 1990. A picture of the alleged encounter is regarded by some as one of the best images of a UFO ever taken.
It is at the centre of a mystery after images sent to the Ministry of Defence disappeared, but one certified copy came to light in 2022, showing a diamond-shaped object in the sky.
Last March, the Daily Record unearthed new clues on the iconic picture, revealing the man behind the camera. The paper identified hotel porter Kevin Russell as the man who snapped the photo, which has caused worldwide intrigue for more than 30 years.
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Simon – who worked on Horizon, the Beeb’s long-running documentary series covering science, philosophy, and controversial topics – got in touch to share details of his own investigation. The alien buff, who runs a popular YouTube channel which often delves into the unknown and mysterious, believes that British Aerospace were developing a classified Radar-busting defence system, which may have involved a secret diamond shaped aircraft escorted by privately owned Harrier jets.
(Image: No credit)
Simon, who reached out to the Record within hours of our story on Calvine, said: «I was sent the Daily Record story and I think it’s fair to say that there are a lot of people out there excited at this exciting development.»
«The Kevin Russell mentioned in the story would have the best, first hand account of what happened and he could help settle this enduring mystery. But I do have my own theory on what he photographed.»
Whatever the truth behind Calvine, it is accepted that the photo was taken in 1990, with negatives sent to the MOD before being lost. One photo was retained by an RAF press officer, with a note on the back saying «copyright Kevin Russell». Kevin was a porter at the Pitlochry Hydro at the time.
Simon said: «I think there is an acceptance by many that the photo is not a fake. There was, I believe, a mysterious aircraft in the sky that day. The MoD previously stated, no ‘known’ Harriers were flying in Perthshire on August 4, 1990. That turns out to be a massive clue to whose they were.»
«I discovered that the only other British Harriers were privately owned by BAE Systems, the defence contractor. They used their Harriers as multi-roll defence test platforms, testing BAE advanced technology. I dug deeper and found that Marconi Advanced Materials, based inside BAE HQ at Warton, Lancashire, were probably working on an advanced ‘stealth’ skin material for the USAF.»
(Image: No credit)
Simon claimed to have tracked down Ron Evans, the man behind British Aerospace’s Stealth Programme at Warton Airfield in the late 1980s. He said: «Ron did not confirm any Calvine testing but has explained the use of secret meta materials to hide aircraft from radar.
«I think there is enough evidence to suggest there was something going on and it would be very helpful if the MOD would just come out and tell us all about it.»
The ex-BBC producer’s findings seem to align with some of the investigations of Matthew Illsley, who laid out his appeal for information in the original Record article last year. Illsley has worked closely with Professor David Clarke, who tracked down the only photo of the incident known to exist.
Illsley received a decades-old photo of Kevin by one of his former colleagues at the Pitlochry Hydro, and shared it in the hope of tracking him down. The UFO hunters contacted 300 different men named Kevin Russell in Scotland, as well as around 150 more across the rest of the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia – but none said they were the mystery photographer.
The Calvine file should have been released after 30 years in 2021 but the MoD blocked the release of key details until 2076 due to «privacy concerns». Some UFO experts believe the object is a secret US reconnaissance aircraft named Aurora – a silent, supersonic spy craft. – while one MOD insider described the Calvine photo as the most spectacular UFO picture ever captured – and the Holy Grail in terms of hard evidence that such things really exist.
BAE Systems were approached for comment after Simon Holland’s revelation.
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