1983 · Eskişehir – Balıkesir – Denizli – Konya, Turkey
Karakuş's F-4 formation and the light beam
From the accounts: four Turkish F-4s led by Erdoğan Karakuş were paced by small multicoloured objects, and one jet flew into a light beam about 50 km long, May 1983. · Illustration for uaptrail.com
WhenMay 1983
WhereEskişehir – Balıkesir – Denizli – Konya, Turkey
In May 1983 a formation of four Turkish F-4 Phantoms led by squadron commander Erdoğan Karakuş, later a lieutenant general, was paced by five or six small multicoloured objects, and one jet flew into a light beam about 50 km long. He says control towers saw them and Konya tracked them on radar, and that the reports were kept top secret.
How plausible · High
A later three-star general who led the formation tells it firsthand on national TV; tower radar is claimed but no document is public.
- ●●Access He led the formation.
- ●●Cost of speaking A retired lieutenant general on national TV.
- ●●No gain sought Nothing sold.
- ●●Character record Rose to three-star rank.
- ●○Independent convergence Four jets and a tower, by his account.
- ●○Physical traces or official reaction Tower radar claimed.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-23.
Claims
An object weaved beside the No. 4 jet; a jet entered a light beam about 50 km long; 5–6 small multicoloured objects paced the formation for about 15 minutes. Konya tower saw and tracked them on radar; Balıkesir and Etimesgut towers saw them. Reports went to Air Force Command, 'also sent to NASA', and such reports were kept 'çok gizli'.firsthandSourced, unconfirmedLt. Gen. Erdoğan Karakuş (then 111th Squadron commander), to Habertürk
Where
Eskişehir – Balıkesir – Denizli – Konya, Turkey
39.0°N 30.0°E · region only