Air Marshal Dilip Kumar Patnaik (Retd) shared his experiences with Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) over Indian soil, emphasising that many of these sightings are illusions rather than extraterrestrial encounters. He explained that atmospheric conditions, such as diffraction and refraction, can cause distant events to appear on radar as if they are happening locally.
He recalled an incident 14-15 years ago where a missile was fired at what was later identified as an illusion. Patnaik firmly ruled out the possibility of UFOs, offering a scientific explanation for the phenomena.
In an exclusive conversation with ANI’s Smita Prakash, he revealed, “There have been sightings from New Jersey to California,” noting that such phenomena are not limited to a single region.
He elaborated on his personal experience in the Bhuj area, where he described the occurrences as “an illusion which appears near real,” giving his assessment based on his firsthand knowledge.
When probed about a past incident, Patnaik recalled, “14-15 years back, we actually fired a missile…” but when asked what it was, he said. “It was an illusion.”
When asked, “You’re sure it wasn’t a UFO?”, he said, “No, 100%,” ruling out the possibility of extraterrestrial involvement.
Explaining his perspective on the phenomena, Patnaik suggested that atmospheric conditions play a crucial role in creating such illusions.
“Atmospheric diffraction, refraction, whatever happens, something which is happening thousands of miles away, gets reflected here and gets picked up by the radars also,” he explained, offering a scientific explanation for what may seem like unexplained aerial events.
‘Dropped 42 Bombs During Kargil War’
Patnaik went on to discuss the Air Force’s critical role in the conflict, stating, “We were the first to start dropping a weapon, commencing rolling at 35,000 feet.”
He elaborated that out of the 140-odd bombs dropped by Mirage aircraft during the operation, he personally dropped about 42 of them, underscoring his active involvement in the mission.
