Air Force scrambled Rafales after 'UFO' sighting near Imphal airport

The Indian Air Force scrambled two Rafale fighter jets after getting information about the sighting of an 'unidentified flying object' (UFO) near Imphal airport in Manipur on Sunday.

The Rafales, launched from Hasimara air base, could not spot anything, top sources told India Today.

The first aircraft returned to the base and the second was deployed towards the area to check again, but it could not ascertain anything.

The Eastern Command of the Indian Air Force said that it had activated its Air Defence response mechanism.

"IAF activated its Air Defence response mechanism based on visual inputs from Imphal airport. The small object was not seen thereafter," it tweeted on Sunday.

"The UFO was visible with bare eyes moving westwards of the airfield till 4 pm," a CISF official said.

Flight operations at Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Manipur's Imphal were halted for several hours after an unidentified flying object was sighted above the airport.

The diverted flights included an IndiGo flight from Kolkata which was initially instructed 'to hold overhead'. It was diverted to Guwahati after 25 minutes.

The delayed flights left Imphal airport after receiving clearance after around three hours. The Indian Air Force Eastern Command at Shillong was also informed of the development.