Yesterday US lawmakers heard first-hand 'the truth is out there' type accounts in a landmark hearing concerning UFO sightings.

David Grusch, an ex-intelligence officer, claims the US government has "intact and partially intact" alien vehicles.

The House of Representatives convened a panel on unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAPs), more commonly known as UFOs, on Wednesday, in the most serious acknowledgement yet that mysterious sightings deserve scrutiny at the highest levels of government.

The hearing was prompted by claims from Grusch in June that the government was secretly harbouring alien spacecraft. On Wednesday, Grusch repeated some of those claims – although not all – under oath.

US lawmakers were "not bringing little green men or flying saucers into the hearing… we're just going to get to the facts," Republican Tim Burchett said at the beginning of the meeting. Yet the testimony at times certainly strayed into that territory.

Over the course of two hours, three witnesses shared their encounters with objects that defied physics and told of pilots afraid to speak up, biological material recovered from crafts, and alleged retaliation against whistleblowers.

Each acknowledged that UAPs were a potential national security threat.

The hearing produced no serious bombshells - nor a confirmation of alien life - but the fact that the witnesses received a major hearing before Congress was notable in and of itself. Lawmakers and witnesses alike used the panel to demand greater transparency around UAPs from the military.

Human or non-human?

In one incredible exchange, Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, asked Mr Grusch to elaborate on what he knew about non-terrestrial bodies.

She asked him if "biologics" were recovered from any crafts retrieved by the government.

Referencing his previous media interviews, Mr Grusch responded that "biologics came with some of these recoveries".

Were they human or non-human? Ms Mace asked.

"Non-human, and that was the assessment of people with direct knowledge on the programme I talked to," Mr Grusch responded. During a different line of questioning, he confirmed he had never personally seen an alien body.

Witnesses also called for an official reporting process for military personnel or members of the public to report unexplained sightings.

"We need a system where pilots can report without losing their jobs," said Ryan Graves, executive director of Americans for Safe Aerospace.

Congress seemed eager to grant that request by the end of the session.