The RAF Tornado North Sea Encounter (1990)

On November 5, 1990, an RAF Tornado aircraft returning from Germany encountered an unidentified object over the North Sea. The incident remained relatively obscure until Labour MP Martin Redmond raised it in British Parliament on July 24, 1996, demanding answers about military UFO encounters. The case achieved cultural significance when the BBC used it as the premise for their 1998 science-fiction series “Invasion: Earth,” filmed at RAF Lossiemouth. The incident represents one of many military encounters during this period that remained largely classified.

The Encounter

The Setting

November 5, 1990:

• RAF Tornado aircraft
• Returning from Germany
• Over the North Sea
• Professional military crew
• Routine return flight
• Then something appeared

The Object

What was observed:

• Strange unidentified object
• Encountered during flight
• Clearly anomalous
• Not conventional aircraft
• Behavior noted as unusual
• Crew reported incident

The Aircraft

RAF Tornado

The platform:

• Advanced fighter-bomber
• Front-line RAF aircraft
• Sophisticated sensors
• Trained crew
• Combat-capable aircraft
• Reliable observers

The Crew

Who saw it:

• Professional RAF personnel
• Military training
• Flight experience
• Qualified observers
• Not prone to misidentification
• Reported through channels

Official Response

Parliamentary Question

July 24, 1996:

• Labour MP Martin Redmond
• Raised incident in Parliament
• Demanded explanation
• Six years after event
• Seeking government transparency
• On military UFO encounters

The Inquiry

What Redmond wanted:

• Acknowledgment of incident
• Explanation of object
• Government position on UFOs
• Military encounter protocol
• Public accountability
• Official response on record

Significance

Military Credibility

Why it mattered:

• RAF personnel as witnesses
• Advanced military aircraft
• Not civilian misidentification
• Professional observers
• Trained in aerial identification
• Reported officially

Parliamentary Record

Historical importance:

• Incident entered official record
• Discussed in House of Commons
• Government forced to respond
• Documentation preserved
• Part of UK UFO history
• Democratic accountability

Cultural Impact

Invasion: Earth

BBC response:

• 1998 science-fiction series
• Used this sighting as premise
• Filmed at RAF Lossiemouth
• Six-part miniseries
• Military UFO encounter theme
• Real incident inspiring fiction

The Production

The series:

• Dramatized military UFO scenario
• Based on actual encounter
• RAF cooperation in filming
• Lent credibility to production
• Brought incident wider attention
• Merged fact and fiction

The Pattern

Military Encounters

Context:

• Part of broader pattern
• RAF encounters throughout era
• Multiple military sightings
• Often classified
• Rarely acknowledged
• This one reached Parliament

Similar Cases

The 1990s pattern:

• Belgian Wave with F-16s
• Cosford/Shawbury RAF incident
• Multiple service encounters
• International phenomenon
• Military interest global
• Objects appearing to aircraft

Classification

What We Don’t Know

The limits:

• Full crew testimony classified
• Object description incomplete
• Radar data unknown
• Flight recordings sealed
• Investigation results hidden
• Only outline public

What We Know

The confirmed:

• Encounter occurred
• RAF Tornado involved
• North Sea location
• November 5, 1990
• Reported through channels
• Raised in Parliament

The Question

November 5, 1990. The North Sea.

An RAF Tornado is returning from Germany. Professional aircrew. Advanced fighter. Routine flight home.

Then they encounter something.

Something strange. Something unidentified. Something worth reporting through official channels.

What happened over the North Sea that night? The full details remain classified. The crew followed protocol. The incident was logged.

Six years later, a Labour MP stands in the House of Commons. Martin Redmond wants answers. He raises this very incident. A military aircraft. An unexplained encounter. Government silence.

The BBC takes notice. They make a TV series about it. “Invasion: Earth.” Filmed at RAF Lossiemouth. Fiction based on fact.

But what was the fact?

An RAF Tornado.

Professional military crew.

The North Sea.

Something they couldn’t identify.

Something strange enough that an MP demanded answers years later.

Something interesting enough that the BBC dramatized it.

The Cold War was ending. The skies over Europe were changing.

But something else was in those skies.

Something that encountered a British military aircraft.

Something never explained.

November 5, 1990.

The North Sea.

An RAF Tornado.

And something else.

What did they see?

Ask Parliament.

They wanted to know too.