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The '''USS ''Nimitz'' UFO incident''' (commonly referred to as the "'''Tic Tac UFO'''") was a [[Close encounter#Radar-Visual|radar-visual encounter]] of an [[unidentified flying object]] by US [[fighter pilot]]s of the [[USS Nimitz#Nimitz Carrier Strike Group|''Nimitz'' Carrier Strike Group]] in 2004. The encounter included a visual engagement with the UFO by multiple [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18 Super Hornets]] lead by the commander of [[VFA-41|Strike Fighter Squadron 41]] as well as radar tracking by [[United States Navy]] ships and aircraft in the area.<ref name="LMH">{{cite interview|last=Fravor|first=David|interviewer=[[Linda Moulton Howe]]|title=Ret Navy Com David Fravor|url=https://www.spreaker.com/user/kgra/prs062818kgra-phenomenon-radio-ret-navy-|access-date=20 December 2018|work=Phenomenon Radio|publisher=[[KGRA]]|date=2018-06-28|via=Spreaker}}</ref> An [[infrared]] video recording by an F/A-18 of part of the incident has also been released.<ref name="NYMAG-20191219">{{cite news |last=Phelan |first=Matthew |title=Navy Pilot Who Filmed the ‘Tic Tac’ UFO Speaks: ‘It Wasn’t Behaving by the Normal Laws of Physics’ |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/tic-tac-ufo-video-q-and-a-with-navy-pilot-chad-underwood.html |date=19 December 2019 |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York Magazne]] |accessdate=21 December 2019 }}</ref>
The '''USS ''Nimitz'' UFO incident''' was a [[Close encounter#Radar-Visual|radar-visual encounter]] of an [[unidentified flying object]] by US [[fighter pilot]]s of the [[USS Nimitz#Nimitz Carrier Strike Group|''Nimitz'' Carrier Strike Group]] in 2004. Multiple{{How many|date=February 2020}} [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18 Super Hornets]] pilots lead by the commander of [[VFA-41|Strike Fighter Squadron 41]] communicated that they saw something, and radar signals were seen by [[United States Navy]] ships and aircraft in the area.<ref name="LMH">{{cite interview|last=Fravor|first=David|interviewer=[[Linda Moulton Howe]]|title=Ret Navy Com David Fravor|url=https://www.spreaker.com/user/kgra/prs062818kgra-phenomenon-radio-ret-navy-|access-date=20 December 2018|work=Phenomenon Radio|publisher=[[KGRA]]|date=2018-06-28|via=Spreaker}}</ref> An [[infrared]] video recording by an F/A-18 of part of the incident has also been released.<ref name="NYMAG-20191219">{{cite news |last=Phelan |first=Matthew |title=Navy Pilot Who Filmed the ‘Tic Tac’ UFO Speaks: ‘It Wasn’t Behaving by the Normal Laws of Physics’ |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/tic-tac-ufo-video-q-and-a-with-navy-pilot-chad-underwood.html |date=19 December 2019 |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York Magazne]] |accessdate=21 December 2019 }}</ref>


The primary encounter occurred during a combat training exercise being conducted in the [[Pacific Ocean]] off the coast of southern California on 14 November 2004, with purportedly related radar sightings occurring in the two weeks before this encounter.<ref name="NYMAG-20191219" /> A 2015 account of the incident on FighterSweep.com,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://sofrep.com/fightersweep/x-files-edition/|title=There I Was: The X-Files Edition|website=SOFREP|language=en|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref> interviews with one of the pilots, and subsequent news reports describe the sighting of an "unidentified flying object" by six Navy [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|Super Hornet]] fighter jets.<ref name="PM 20171218" />
The primary encounter occurred during a combat training exercise being conducted in the [[Pacific Ocean]] off the coast of southern California on 14 November 2004, with purportedly related sightings occurring in the days before and after this encounter. A 2015 account of the incident on FighterSweep.com<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://sofrep.com/fightersweep/x-files-edition/|title=There I Was: The X-Files Edition|website=SOFREP|language=en|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref>, interviews with one of the pilots, and subsequent news reports describe the sighting of an "unidentified flying object" by six Navy [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|Super Hornet]] fighter jets.<ref name="PM 20171218" />


Thirteen years after the incident, in December 2017, infrared footage of this and of two other incidents was released to the public by [[The New York Times]] and [[To the Stars (company)]].<ref name="NYT-20171216-A" /><ref name="NYT-20171216-B" /> According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', the video was released by former intelligence officer [[Luis Elizondo]] to shed light on a secretive [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] operation to analyze reported UFO sightings, the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]].<ref name="Politico-20171216">{{cite web |url= https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/12/16/pentagon-ufo-search-harry-reid-216111|title=The Pentagon's Secret Search for UFOs|last=Bender|first=Bryan|website=[[Politico]]|date=December 16, 2017|access-date=December 17, 2017}}</ref><ref name="WP-20171216" /><ref name="WP-20180309">{{cite news|last=Mellon|first=Christopher|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-military-keeps-encountering-ufos-why-doesnt-the-pentagon-care/2018/03/09/242c125c-22ee-11e8-94da-ebf9d112159c_story.html|title=The military keeps encountering UFOs. Why doesn’t the Pentagon care?|date=March 9, 2018|work=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=March 12, 2018|authorlink=Christopher Mellon}}</ref>
Thirteen years after the incident, in December 2017, infrared footage of this and two other incidents was released to the public by [[The New York Times]] and [[To the Stars (company)]].<ref name="NYT-20171216-A" /><ref name="NYT-20171216-B" /> According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', the video was released by former intelligence officer [[Luis Elizondo]] to shed light on a secretive [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] operation to analyze reported UFO sightings, the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]].<ref name="Politico-20171216">{{cite web |url= https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/12/16/pentagon-ufo-search-harry-reid-216111|title=The Pentagon's Secret Search for UFOs|last=Bender|first=Bryan|website=[[Politico]]|date=December 16, 2017|access-date=December 17, 2017}}</ref><ref name="WP-20171216" /><ref name="WP-20180309">{{cite news|last=Mellon|first=Christopher|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-military-keeps-encountering-ufos-why-doesnt-the-pentagon-care/2018/03/09/242c125c-22ee-11e8-94da-ebf9d112159c_story.html|title=The military keeps encountering UFOs. Why doesn’t the Pentagon care?|date=March 9, 2018|work=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=March 12, 2018|authorlink=Christopher Mellon}}</ref>


Numerous [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] requests were submitted regarding the incident. There was an FOIA obtained that indicated four [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] Lieutenant Colonels and a Marine Major were aware of the event and had witnessed the IR video of the unknown object. A number of documents were leaked to the Internet, with varying levels of credibility. An analysis of all publicly available data, including statements from the USS ''Princeton'' radar operators, has concluded that these objects cannot be of any known aircraft or missiles using current technology and has estimated a mean acceleration above 5900[[Standard gravity|g]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Knuth|first=Kevin H.|last2=Powell|first2=Robert M.|last3=Reali|first3=Peter A.|date=25 September 2019|title=Estimating Flight Characteristics of Anomalous Unidentified Aerial Vehicles|url=https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/21/10/939|journal=Entropy|language=en|volume=21|issue=10|pages=939|doi=10.3390/e21100939|via=}}</ref> The Navy has since reportedly updated their protocols for pilots to report UFO sightings in an effort to reduce the stigma associated with such reports.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2019/04/25/aliens-ahoy-navy-developing-guidelines-on-reporting-ufo-sightings/|title=Aliens, ahoy! Navy developing guidelines on reporting UFO sightings|last=Simkins|first=J. D.|date=2019-04-25|website=Navy Times|access-date=2019-06-06}}</ref>
Numerous [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] requests were submitted regarding the incident. There was an FOIA obtained that indicated four [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] Lieutenant Colonels and a Marine Major were aware of the event and had witnessed the IR video of the unknown object. A number of documents were leaked to the Internet, with varying levels of credibility. Acceleration values for the performance characteristics of the object were based upon statements from the USS ''Princeton'' radar operators, the F/A-18 pilots that saw the object disappear within a second.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}} The Navy has since reportedly updated their protocols for pilots to report UFO sightings in an effort to reduce the stigma associated with such reports.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2019/04/25/aliens-ahoy-navy-developing-guidelines-on-reporting-ufo-sightings/|title=Aliens, ahoy! Navy developing guidelines on reporting UFO sightings|last=Simkins|first=J. D.|date=2019-04-25|website=Navy Times|access-date=2019-06-06}}</ref>


On 11 September 2019, the U.S. Navy acknowledged that the three videos are authentic and depict unidentified phenomena but has not publicly released any hypothesis or conclusions in regard to the objects observed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenewald|first=John|url=https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/u-s-navy-releases-dates-of-three-officially-acknowledged-encounters-with-phenomena/#|title=U.S. Navy Releases Dates of Three Officially Acknowledged Encounters with “Phenomena”|date=11 September 2019|accessdate=2020-02-08|publisher=The Black Vault}}
On 11 September 2019, the U.S. Navy acknowledged that there are no identified objects in the videos but has not publicly released any hypothesis or conclusions in regard to observations.<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenewald|first=John|url=https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/u-s-navy-releases-dates-of-three-officially-acknowledged-encounters-with-phenomena/#|title=U.S. Navy Releases Dates of Three Officially Acknowledged Encounters with “Phenomena”|date=11 September 2019|accessdate=2020-02-08|publisher=The Black Vault}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/navy-confirms-ufo-videos-real|title=Navy Confirms UFO Videos Are Real and Show Unidentified Aerial Phenomena|last=Little|first=Becky|website=HISTORY|language=en|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref> Skeptics have called into question the veracity of the pilots' accounts, pointing out that the sighting might be explained by equipment malfunction or human error.
</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/navy-confirms-ufo-videos-real|title=Navy Confirms UFO Videos Are Real and Show Unidentified Aerial Phenomena|last=Little|first=Becky|website=HISTORY|language=en|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref> Skeptics have called into question the veracity of the pilots' accounts, pointing out that the prosaic explanation that the sighting is explained by equipment malfunction or human error is plausible and even [[Occam's razor|likely]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2018/05/navy-pilots-2004-ufo-a-comedy-of-errors/|title=Navy Pilot’s 2004 UFO: A Comedy of Errors {{!}} Skeptical Inquirer|last=Kreidler|first=Marc|date=2018-05-01|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-15}}</ref>


== Encounter ==
== Encounter ==
[[File:The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN_68), foreground, and the guided missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG_59) transit the Indian Ocean June 1, 2013 130601-N-AZ866-512.jpg|thumb|USS ''Nimitz'' ahead of the USS ''Princeton'']]
[[File:The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN_68), foreground, and the guided missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG_59) transit the Indian Ocean June 1, 2013 130601-N-AZ866-512.jpg|thumb|USS ''Nimitz'' ahead of the USS ''Princeton'']]
Prior to the incident, in early November 2004, the {{sclass-|Ticonderoga|cruiser|0}} [[Cruiser#Late 20th century|guided missile cruiser]] {{USS|Princeton|CG-59|6}}, part of [[Carrier Strike Group 11]], had been tracking mysterious aircraft intermittently for two weeks on an advanced [[AN/SPY-1|AN/SPY-1B]] [[Passive electronically scanned array|passive scanning phased array radar]].<ref name="NYMAG-20191219"/><ref name="PM 20171218">{{Cite news |last=Mizokami|first=Kyle |url= http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a14456936/that-time-the-us-navy-had-a-close-encounter-with-a-ufo/ |title=That Time the U.S. Navy Had a Close Encounter With a UFO |date=December 18, 2017 |work=[[Popular Mechanics]] |access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20171216-A">{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/unidentified-flying-object-navy.html|title=2 Navy Airmen and an Object That 'Accelerated Like Nothing I've Ever Seen'|last1=Cooper|first1=Helene |authorlink1=Helene Cooper|last2=Kean|first2=Leslie|authorlink2=Leslie Kean|last3=Blumenthal|first3=Ralph|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 16, 2017|access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref> Navy Chief Petty Officer (NCO, E-7) Kevin Day, stationed on ''Princeton'', recalls that he first noticed the clear radar traces of eight to ten objects around 10 November. They were travelling southwards in a loose though fixed formation at {{convert|28,000|ft|m}} in the immediate vicinity of [[Santa Catalina Island (California)|Catalina]] and [[San Clemente Island|San Clemente]] islands.<ref name="PM 20191112">{{Cite news |last=McMillan |first=Tim |url= https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a29771548/navy-ufo-witnesses-tell-truth/ |title=The Witnesses |date=November 12, 2019 |work=[[Popular Mechanics]] |access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref> He was startled by their slow speed of {{convert|100|kn|lk=in}}, but received confirmation of their presence from radar operators on other vessels. Corroborating signals were also faintly detected by an [[E-2C Hawkeye]] plane after ''Princeton'' sent them coordinates.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chierici|first=Paco |url=https://fightersweep.com/1460/x-files-edition/|title=There I Was: The X-Files Edition|website=FighterSweep.com |date=March 14, 2015|accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref><ref name="PM 20191112" />
Prior to the incident, in early November 2004, the {{sclass-|Ticonderoga|cruiser|0}} [[Cruiser#Late 20th century|guided missile cruiser]] {{USS|Princeton|CG-59|6}}, part of [[Carrier Strike Group 11]], had been reportedly tracking mysterious aircraft intermittently for two weeks<!--doesn't agree with KD's testimony; should say "intermittently for about four days"--> on an advanced [[AN/SPY-1|AN/SPY-1B]] [[Passive electronically scanned array|passive scanning phased array radar]].<ref name="NYT-20171216-A">{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/unidentified-flying-object-navy.html|title=2 Navy Airmen and an Object That 'Accelerated Like Nothing I've Ever Seen'|last1=Cooper|first1=Helene |authorlink1=Helene Cooper|last2=Kean|first2=Leslie|authorlink2=Leslie Kean|last3=Blumenthal|first3=Ralph|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 16, 2017|access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref><ref name="PM 20171218">{{Cite news |last=Mizokami|first=Kyle |url= http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a14456936/that-time-the-us-navy-had-a-close-encounter-with-a-ufo/ |title=That Time the U.S. Navy Had a Close Encounter With a UFO |date=December 18, 2017 |work=[[Popular Mechanics]] |access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref> Navy Chief Petty Officer (NCO, E-7) Kevin Day, stationed on ''Princeton'', recalls that he first noticed the clear radar traces of eight to ten objects around 10 November that he described as travelling southwards in a loose though fixed formation at {{convert|28,000|ft|m}} in the immediate vicinity of [[Santa Catalina Island (California)|Catalina]] and [[San Clemente Island|San Clemente]] islands.<ref name="PM 20191112">{{Cite news |last=McMillan |first=Tim |url= https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a29771548/navy-ufo-witnesses-tell-truth/ |title=The Witnesses |date=November 12, 2019 |work=[[Popular Mechanics]] |access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref> He was startled by their slow speed of {{convert|100|kn|lk=in}}, but received confirmation of their presence from radar operators on other vessels. Corroborating signals were faintly detected by an [[E-2C Hawkeye]] plane after ''Princeton'' sent them coordinates.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chierici|first=Paco |url=https://fightersweep.com/1460/x-files-edition/|title=There I Was: The X-Files Edition|website=FighterSweep.com |date=March 14, 2015|accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref><ref name="PM 20191112" />


=== Visual sighting ===
=== Visual sighting ===
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''Princeton''{{'}}s radio operator directly instructed the pilots to change their course and investigate the unidentified radar spot observed by ''Princeton''{{'}}s own radar.<ref name="PM 20171218" /> A radio operator on ''Princeton'', however, asked the pilots if they were carrying operational weapons, to which the pilots replied that they were not.<ref name="PM 20171218" /> The weather conditions for that day showed excellent visibility with a blue sky, no cloud cover, and a calm sea.
''Princeton''{{'}}s radio operator directly instructed the pilots to change their course and investigate the unidentified radar spot observed by ''Princeton''{{'}}s own radar.<ref name="PM 20171218" /> A radio operator on ''Princeton'', however, asked the pilots if they were carrying operational weapons, to which the pilots replied that they were not.<ref name="PM 20171218" /> The weather conditions for that day showed excellent visibility with a blue sky, no cloud cover, and a calm sea.


As the pilots looked down at the sea, they noticed a turbulent oval area of churning water with foam and frothy waves "the size of a [[Boeing 737]] airplane"<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216"/> with a smoother area of lighter color at the center, as if the waves were breaking over something just under the surface.<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216">{{cite news |last=Finucane|first=Martin |title=This former Navy pilot, who once chased a UFO, says we should take them seriously |work=Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/01/16/this-former-navy-fighter-pilot-who-once-chased-ufo-says-should-take-them-seriously/MtfbLrDhNJRrO0MEzJRbDM/story.html |date=January 16, 2018 |access-date=February 7, 2018}}</ref> A few seconds later, they noticed an unusual object hovering with erratic movements at a height they estimated to be {{convert|50|ft|m}} above the churning water. Both Fravor<ref name="CNN 20171218">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1THwiaXZfzA |title=Secretive program tracked UFOs for 5 years|time=0:33|publisher=CNN|via=YouTube|date=December 18, 2017|accessdate=2019-09-23|quote=It looks like a 40-foot-long [[Tic Tac]], with no wings.}}</ref> and Slaight later described the object as a large bright white [[Tic Tac]], {{convert|30|to|46|ft}} long, with no [[windshield]] nor [[porthole]], no [[wing]] nor [[empennage]], and no visible [[engine]] nor [[Exhaust gas|exhaust plume]].<ref name="ABC 20171218">{{cite news|last=McCarthy|first=Kelly |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/navy-pilot-recalls-encounter-ufo-unlike/story?id=51856514|title=Navy pilot recalls encounter with UFO: 'I think it was not from this world'|publisher=[[ABC News]]|date=December 18, 2017|accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref><ref name="CNN 20171218" /><ref name="CNN 20171219">{{cite interview|last=Fravor|first=David|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdieHccGqLs&t=33m0s|title=Navy Pilot on Encounter with UFO: "Not from This World"|interviewer=[[Jim Sciutto]]|work=[[Erin Burnett OutFront]]|publisher=CNN|via=YouTube|date=December 19, 2017 |accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref><ref name="Fox News 2017120">{{cite interview|last=Fravor|first=David |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDj9ZZQY2kA|title=Navy pilot recalls 'out of this world' encounter|interviewer=[[Tucker Carlson]]|publisher=Fox News|date=December 20, 2017|accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref>
As the pilots looked down at the sea, they noticed a turbulent oval area of churning water with foam and frothy waves "the size of a [[Boeing 737]] airplane"<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216"/> with a smoother area of lighter color at the center, as if the waves were breaking over something just under the surface.<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216">{{cite news |last=Finucane|first=Martin |title=This former Navy pilot, who once chased a UFO, says we should take them seriously |work=Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/01/16/this-former-navy-fighter-pilot-who-once-chased-ufo-says-should-take-them-seriously/MtfbLrDhNJRrO0MEzJRbDM/story.html |date=January 16, 2018 |access-date=February 7, 2018}}</ref> A few seconds later, they noticed an unusual object hovering with erratic movements at a height they estimated to be about {{convert|50|ft|m}} above the churning water. Both Fravor<ref name="CNN 20171218">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1THwiaXZfzA |title=Secretive program tracked UFOs for 5 years|time=0:33|publisher=CNN|via=YouTube|date=December 18, 2017|accessdate=2019-09-23|quote=It looks like a 40-foot-long [[Tic Tac]], with no wings.}}</ref> and Slaight later described the object as a large bright white [[Tic Tac]], {{convert|30|to|46|ft}} long, with no [[windshield]] nor [[porthole]], no [[wing]] nor [[empennage]], and no visible [[engine]] nor [[Exhaust gas|exhaust plume]].<ref name="ABC 20171218">{{cite news|last=McCarthy|first=Kelly |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/navy-pilot-recalls-encounter-ufo-unlike/story?id=51856514|title=Navy pilot recalls encounter with UFO: 'I think it was not from this world'|publisher=[[ABC News]]|date=December 18, 2017|accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref><ref name="CNN 20171218" /><ref name="CNN 20171219">{{cite interview|last=Fravor|first=David|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdieHccGqLs&t=33m0s|title=Navy Pilot on Encounter with UFO: "Not from This World"|interviewer=[[Jim Sciutto]]|work=[[Erin Burnett OutFront]]|publisher=CNN|via=YouTube|date=December 19, 2017 |accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref><ref name="Fox News 2017120">{{cite interview|last=Fravor|first=David |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDj9ZZQY2kA|title=Navy pilot recalls 'out of this world' encounter|interviewer=[[Tucker Carlson]]|publisher=Fox News|date=December 20, 2017|accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref>


Fravor began a circular descent to approach the object.<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216" /> As Fravor further descended, he reported that the object began ascending along a curved path, maintaining some distance from the F-18, mirroring its trajectory in opposite circles.<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216" /><ref name="CNN 20171218" /> Fravor then made a more aggressive maneuver, plunging his fighter to aim below the object, but at this point the UFO accelerated and disappeared in less than two seconds, leaving the pilots "pretty weirded out".<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216" /><ref name="Fox News 2017120" />
Fravor began a circular descent to approach the object.<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216" /> As Fravor further descended, he reported that the object began ascending along a curved path, maintaining some distance from the F-18, mirroring its trajectory in opposite circles.<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216" /><ref name="CNN 20171218" /> Fravor then made a more aggressive maneuver, plunging his fighter to aim below the object, but at this point the UFO apparently accelerated and disappeared in less than two seconds, leaving the pilots "pretty weirded out".<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216" /><ref name="Fox News 2017120" />


Subsequently, the two fighter jets began a new course to the [[combat air patrol]] (CAP) rendezvous point. "Within seconds" ''Princeton'' radioed the jets that the radar target had reappeared {{convert|60|mi}} away at this predetermined rendezvous point. According to ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', a physical object would have had to move greater than {{convert|2,400|mph}} to reach the CAP ahead of the Navy fighters. Their jets have a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 ({{convert|1,190|mph}}). To actually get there "within seconds" would have required an air speed of at least {{convert|42,000|mph}}.
Subsequently, the two fighter jets began a new course to the [[combat air patrol]] (CAP) rendezvous point. "Within seconds" ''Princeton'' radioed the jets that a radar target had appeared {{convert|60|mi}} away at the predetermined rendezvous point. According to ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', a physical object would have had to move greater than {{convert|2,400|mph}} to reach the CAP ahead of the Navy fighters. Their jets have a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 ({{convert|1,190|mph}}). To actually get there "within seconds" would have required an air speed of at least {{convert|42,000|mph}}.
Two other jets went to investigate the new radar location, but "By the time the Super Hornets arrived [...] the object had already disappeared." Both F-18s then returned to ''Nimitz''.<ref name="PM 20171218" /> Commander Fravor reflected on his sighting: "I have no idea what I saw. It had no plumes, wings or rotors and outran our F-18s. But I want to fly one".<ref name="NYT-20171216-A" />
Two other jets went to investigate the new radar location, but "By the time the Super Hornets arrived [...] the object had already disappeared." Both F-18s then returned to ''Nimitz''.<ref name="PM 20171218" /> Commander Fravor reflected on his sighting: "I have no idea what I saw. It had no plumes, wings or rotors and outran our F-18s. But I want to fly one".<ref name="NYT-20171216-A" />


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[[File:TIC TAC UFO EXECUTIVE REPORT 1526682843046 42960218 ver1.0.pdf|thumb|An unclassified and redacted summary of the event released by the US military]]
[[File:TIC TAC UFO EXECUTIVE REPORT 1526682843046 42960218 ver1.0.pdf|thumb|An unclassified and redacted summary of the event released by the US military]]
[[File:US Navy 041113-N-5837R-018 Photographer's Mate 1st Class John Yoder, left, and Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Julian Olivari, install an AN-ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) Pod on an F-A-18F Super Hor.jpg|thumb|A [[Raytheon]] [[AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR|ATFLIR]] Targeting Pod]]
[[File:US Navy 041113-N-5837R-018 Photographer's Mate 1st Class John Yoder, left, and Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Julian Olivari, install an AN-ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) Pod on an F-A-18F Super Hor.jpg|thumb|A [[Raytheon]] [[AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR|ATFLIR]] Targeting Pod]]
After the return of the first team to ''Nimitz'', a second team took off at approximately 12:00 PST, this time equipped with an advanced infrared camera ([[Forward-looking infrared|FLIR pod]]). This camera recorded an evasive unidentified aerial system on video. The footage was publicly released by [[the Pentagon]] more than 13 years later, on 16 December 2017, alongside the revelation of the funding of the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]].<ref name="NYT-20171216-B">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html|title=Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program|last1=Cooper|first1=Helene|last2= Blumenthal|first2=Ralph|last3=Kean|first3=Leslie|work=The New York Times|date=December 16, 2017 |access-date=December 17, 2017}}</ref><ref name="WP-20171216">{{Cite news |last=Warrick|first=Joby |authorlink=Joby Warrick|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/head-of-pentagons-secret-ufo-office-sought-to-make-evidence-public/2017/12/16/90bcb7cc-e2b2-11e7-8679-a9728984779c_story.html |title=Head of Pentagon's secret 'UFO' office sought to make evidence public |date=December 16, 2017 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Politico-20171216" />
After the return of the first team to ''Nimitz'', a second team took off at approximately 12:00 PST, this time equipped with an advanced infrared camera ([[Forward-looking infrared|FLIR pod]]). This camera recorded what appeared to be a moving object. The footage was publicly released by [[the Pentagon]] more than 13 years later, on 16 December 2017, alongside the revelation of the funding of the [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]].<ref name="NYT-20171216-B">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html|title=Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program|last1=Cooper|first1=Helene|last2= Blumenthal|first2=Ralph|last3=Kean|first3=Leslie|work=The New York Times|date=December 16, 2017 |access-date=December 17, 2017}}</ref><ref name="WP-20171216">{{Cite news |last=Warrick|first=Joby |authorlink=Joby Warrick|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/head-of-pentagons-secret-ufo-office-sought-to-make-evidence-public/2017/12/16/90bcb7cc-e2b2-11e7-8679-a9728984779c_story.html |title=Head of Pentagon's secret 'UFO' office sought to make evidence public |date=December 16, 2017 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=December 21, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Politico-20171216" />


This footage is known as the ''2004 USS Nimitz FLIR1 video''. Aside from a 2015 secondhand story on FighterSweep.com, the 2017 release was the first time the story was made public.<ref name="PM 20171218" /> A second film of infrared footage, known as the ''GIMBAL video'', was released by the Pentagon alongside the 2004 FLIR1 footage. Although the media often present the two videos together to illustrate the 2004 USS ''Nimitz'' UFO incident, the GIMBAL video is unrelated, and was filmed on the [[East Coast of the United States]] at an unknown date.<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216" />
This footage is known as the ''2004 USS Nimitz FLIR1 video''. Aside from a 2015 secondhand story on FighterSweep.com, the 2017 release was the first time the story was made public.<ref name="PM 20171218" /> A second film of infrared footage, known as the ''GIMBAL video'', was released by the Pentagon alongside the 2004 FLIR1 footage. Although the media often present the two videos together to illustrate the 2004 USS ''Nimitz'' UFO incident, the GIMBAL video is unrelated, and was filmed on the [[East Coast of the United States]] at an unknown date.<ref name="Boston Globe 20180216" />
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In May 2019, journalists from Las Vegas station KLAS 10 determined that the videos were indeed released by the Pentagon, and not by any private individuals or organizations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.news10.com/news/national/confirmed-pentagon-did-release-ufo-videos/1970446677|title=Confirmed: Pentagon did release UFO videos|publisher=[[WTEN]]|date=May 1, 2019|accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref>
In May 2019, journalists from Las Vegas station KLAS 10 determined that the videos were indeed released by the Pentagon, and not by any private individuals or organizations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.news10.com/news/national/confirmed-pentagon-did-release-ufo-videos/1970446677|title=Confirmed: Pentagon did release UFO videos|publisher=[[WTEN]]|date=May 1, 2019|accessdate=2019-09-25}}</ref>


== Skeptical views ==
== Mainstream views ==
Defense and security writer Kyle Mizokami suggested three possibilities that could explain the sightings. The first is equipment malfunction or misinterpretation; USS ''Princeton''{{'}}s radars and the Super Hornets' electro-optical sensors and radars could have all malfunctioned, or the crew could have misinterpreted a number of natural phenomena. The second is classified government technology: If the objects were aircraft operated by the United States government, it would make sense that they were kept secret, as the object reportedly easily outmaneuvered multiple Super Hornets, a jet that was considered state-of-the-art in 2004. The third possibility is that the sightings were caused by objects of extraterrestrial origin.<ref name="PM 20171218" /><ref name="WP-20171216" /> ''[[The New York Times]]'' included a disclaimer in its reporting of the incident: "Experts caution that earthly explanations often exist for such incidents, and that not knowing the explanation does not mean that the event has interstellar origins".<ref name="NYT-20171216-A" />
Defense and security writer Kyle Mizokami suggested three possibilities that could explain the sightings. The first is equipment malfunction or misinterpretation; USS ''Princeton''{{'}}s radars and the Super Hornets' electro-optical sensors and radars could have malfunctioned, or the crew could have misinterpreted a number of natural phenomena. The second is classified government technology. Mizokami's third possibility was that the sightings were caused by objects of extraterrestrial origin.<ref name="PM 20171218" /><ref name="WP-20171216" /> ''[[The New York Times]]'' included a disclaimer in its reporting of the incident: "Experts caution that earthly explanations often exist for such incidents, and that not knowing the explanation does not mean that the event has interstellar origins".<ref name="NYT-20171216-A" />


Physicist [[Don Lincoln]] suggested that it was "very unlikely that what these pilots are reporting turns out to be an unfriendly superweapon or an alien craft," however he explained that he would like to see the reports investigated "under the premise that the best science is done when as many opinions are considered as possible, preferably in the open and subject to peer review." According to Lincoln, "unidentified doesn't mean flying saucer or a Russian superweapon. It merely means unidentified."<ref name="Lincoln">{{cite web|last=Lincoln|first=Don|authorlink=Don Lincoln|title=Keep looking for UFOs|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/20/opinions/keep-looking-for-unidentified-flying-objects-opinion-don-lincoln/index.html|publisher=CNN|date=December 20, 2017|access-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref><ref name="WNYC">{{cite web|title=The Modern Search for U.F.O.s|url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/physicist-likelihood-ufos|work=[[The Takeaway]]|publisher=[[WNYC]]|date= December 22, 2017|access-date= December 22, 2017}}</ref>
Physicist [[Don Lincoln]] suggested that it was "very unlikely that what these pilots are reporting turns out to be an unfriendly superweapon or an alien craft," however he explained that he would like to see the reports investigated "under the premise that the best science is done when as many opinions are considered as possible, preferably in the open and subject to peer review." According to Lincoln, "unidentified doesn't mean flying saucer or a Russian superweapon. It merely means unidentified."<ref name="Lincoln">{{cite web|last=Lincoln|first=Don|authorlink=Don Lincoln|title=Keep looking for UFOs|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/20/opinions/keep-looking-for-unidentified-flying-objects-opinion-don-lincoln/index.html|publisher=CNN|date=December 20, 2017|access-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref><ref name="WNYC">{{cite web|title=The Modern Search for U.F.O.s|url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/physicist-likelihood-ufos|work=[[The Takeaway]]|publisher=[[WNYC]]|date= December 22, 2017|access-date= December 22, 2017}}</ref>
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According to Steve Cummings of [[Raytheon]] Space and Airborne Systems, the video images captured by a Raytheon-made [[AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR|Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared]] (ATFLIR) sensor are not definitive proof that the jet pilots were chasing an actual UFO. Cummings noted, "To really be sure, we would need the raw data. Visual displays alone are not the best evidence".<ref name="Raytheon">{{cite web|title=Navy pilots used Raytheon tech to track a strange UFO|url=https://www.raytheon.com/news/feature/uap_atflir.html|publisher=[[Raytheon]] |date=19 December 2017|access-date=11 January 2018}}</ref>
According to Steve Cummings of [[Raytheon]] Space and Airborne Systems, the video images captured by a Raytheon-made [[AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR|Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared]] (ATFLIR) sensor are not definitive proof that the jet pilots were chasing an actual UFO. Cummings noted, "To really be sure, we would need the raw data. Visual displays alone are not the best evidence".<ref name="Raytheon">{{cite web|title=Navy pilots used Raytheon tech to track a strange UFO|url=https://www.raytheon.com/news/feature/uap_atflir.html|publisher=[[Raytheon]] |date=19 December 2017|access-date=11 January 2018}}</ref>

According to [[Joe Nickell]] writing for the ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'', there are differing versions of Fravor's account, including a "truly curious document that tells Fravor's story in the form of a military-style briefing" designed to create a "pseudo top-secret appearance". Nickell identified the document as "a third-person account of an interview with Fravor, produced by a fringe-ideas group called [[To the Stars (company)|To the Stars]] Academy of Arts and Science". Regarding the visual sightings reported by Fravor, Nickell questioned how he could see "what a forty-foot object was doing from forty miles away" and characterized the "confusion and incompleteness in the reports" of the training mission as a "comedy of errors".<ref name="Nickell">{{cite magazine|url= https://www.csicop.org/si/show/navy_pilots_2004_ufo_a_comedy_of_errors|title=Navy Pilot’s 2004 UFO: A Comedy of Errors |last=Nickell|first=Joe|authorlink=Joe Nickell|magazine=Skeptical Inquirer|date=May–June 2018 |volume=42|number=3|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref> Nickell and astronomer and former Air Force pilot James E. McGaha speculated that reports of churning water could have been caused by a submerging submarine, the visual sightings could have been of a reconnaissance [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drone]], and that "one video image showing an object suddenly zooming off screen was likely caused by the plane's banking while the camera was stopped at the end of its sweep".<ref name="Nickell" /> He comments that several reports of the incident mention that when Fravor returned to the USS ''Nimitz'' following the encounter, most of the personnel on the carrier did not take the encounter seriously, reportedly making fun of Fravor and playing alien movies on the ship's onboard closed-circuit TV system, implying that perhaps they knew something Fravor did not. Nickell also notes that the incident had apparently not been considered serious enough to warrant a debriefing of either Fravor, the other pilots, or the radar operator.<ref name="Nickell" />


''[[The Washington Post]]'' identified David Fravor as "the commanding officer of the [[VFA-41]] Black Aces," at the time of the 2004 incident.<ref name="rosenberg">{{cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Eli |title=Former Navy pilot describes UFO encounter studied by secret Pentagon program |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/12/18/former-navy-pilot-describes-encounter-with-ufo-studied-by-secret-pentagon-program/ |access-date=16 June 2018 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=18 December 2017}}</ref> ''[[The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)|The Blade]]'' of [[Toledo, Ohio]] stated Fravor retired from military service in 2006, after a 24-year career, including 18 years as a Navy pilot and deployments in [[Iraq]] that began during [[Operation Desert Storm]]. Fravor stated the identities of other Naval officers aboard the two fighter jets during his mission on 14 November 2004 had not been released publicly as they were still active in the military at the time of ''The Blade'' publication in 2018.<ref name="bladefollowup">{{cite news |last=Henry |first=Tom |title=Close encounters of the Toledo kind: Fravor pursued UFO in 2004 |url=http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2018/03/31/Toledo-native-David-Fravor-recalls-close-encounter-with-UFO.html |access-date=16 June 2018 |work=The Blade |date=1 April 2018}}</ref>
''[[The Washington Post]]'' identified David Fravor as "the commanding officer of the [[VFA-41]] Black Aces," at the time of the 2004 incident.<ref name="rosenberg">{{cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Eli |title=Former Navy pilot describes UFO encounter studied by secret Pentagon program |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/12/18/former-navy-pilot-describes-encounter-with-ufo-studied-by-secret-pentagon-program/ |access-date=16 June 2018 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=18 December 2017}}</ref> ''[[The Blade (Toledo, Ohio)|The Blade]]'' of [[Toledo, Ohio]] stated Fravor retired from military service in 2006, after a 24-year career, including 18 years as a Navy pilot and deployments in [[Iraq]] that began during [[Operation Desert Storm]]. Fravor stated the identities of other Naval officers aboard the two fighter jets during his mission on 14 November 2004 had not been released publicly as they were still active in the military at the time of ''The Blade'' publication in 2018.<ref name="bladefollowup">{{cite news |last=Henry |first=Tom |title=Close encounters of the Toledo kind: Fravor pursued UFO in 2004 |url=http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2018/03/31/Toledo-native-David-Fravor-recalls-close-encounter-with-UFO.html |access-date=16 June 2018 |work=The Blade |date=1 April 2018}}</ref>
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[[Category:2004 in military history]]
[[Category:2004 in military history]]
[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving United States Navy and Marine Corps aircraft]]
[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving United States Navy and Marine Corps aircraft]]
[[Category:Alleged UFO-related aviation incidents]]
[[Category:Alleged aircraft–UFO incidents and near misses]]
[[Category:Military history of the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Military history of the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:November 2004 events in the United States]]
[[Category:November 2004 events in the United States]]

Revision as of 17:00, 15 February 2020

USS Nimitz UFO incident
Video released by the US military showing a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet intercepting a UFO
DateNovember 10–16, 2004 (2004-11-10 – 2004-11-16)
LocationPacific Ocean, off the coast of southern California
Coordinates31°20′N 117°10′W / 31.333°N 117.167°W / 31.333; -117.167

The USS Nimitz UFO incident was a radar-visual encounter of an unidentified flying object by US fighter pilots of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in 2004. Multiple[quantify] F/A-18 Super Hornets pilots lead by the commander of Strike Fighter Squadron 41 communicated that they saw something, and radar signals were seen by United States Navy ships and aircraft in the area.[1] An infrared video recording by an F/A-18 of part of the incident has also been released.[2]

The primary encounter occurred during a combat training exercise being conducted in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California on 14 November 2004, with purportedly related sightings occurring in the days before and after this encounter. A 2015 account of the incident on FighterSweep.com[3], interviews with one of the pilots, and subsequent news reports describe the sighting of an "unidentified flying object" by six Navy Super Hornet fighter jets.[4]

Thirteen years after the incident, in December 2017, infrared footage of this and two other incidents was released to the public by The New York Times and To the Stars (company).[5][6] According to The Washington Post, the video was released by former intelligence officer Luis Elizondo to shed light on a secretive Department of Defense operation to analyze reported UFO sightings, the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.[7][8][9]

Numerous Freedom of Information Act requests were submitted regarding the incident. There was an FOIA obtained that indicated four Marine Lieutenant Colonels and a Marine Major were aware of the event and had witnessed the IR video of the unknown object. A number of documents were leaked to the Internet, with varying levels of credibility. Acceleration values for the performance characteristics of the object were based upon statements from the USS Princeton radar operators, the F/A-18 pilots that saw the object disappear within a second.[citation needed] The Navy has since reportedly updated their protocols for pilots to report UFO sightings in an effort to reduce the stigma associated with such reports.[10]

On 11 September 2019, the U.S. Navy acknowledged that there are no identified objects in the videos but has not publicly released any hypothesis or conclusions in regard to observations.[11][12] Skeptics have called into question the veracity of the pilots' accounts, pointing out that the prosaic explanation that the sighting is explained by equipment malfunction or human error is plausible and even likely.[13]

Encounter

USS Nimitz ahead of the USS Princeton

Prior to the incident, in early November 2004, the Template:Sclass- guided missile cruiser USS Princeton, part of Carrier Strike Group 11, had been reportedly tracking mysterious aircraft intermittently for two weeks on an advanced AN/SPY-1B passive scanning phased array radar.[5][4] Navy Chief Petty Officer (NCO, E-7) Kevin Day, stationed on Princeton, recalls that he first noticed the clear radar traces of eight to ten objects around 10 November that he described as travelling southwards in a loose though fixed formation at 28,000 feet (8,500 m) in the immediate vicinity of Catalina and San Clemente islands.[14] He was startled by their slow speed of 100 knots (190 km/h; 120 mph), but received confirmation of their presence from radar operators on other vessels. Corroborating signals were faintly detected by an E-2C Hawkeye plane after Princeton sent them coordinates.[15][14]

Visual sighting

Fighters were approx. 100 mi from coast of San Diego when they were directed to intercept the UFO
Fighters were approximately 100 miles from the coast of San Diego when they were directed to intercept the UFO[4]
  100 miles from San Diego County coast
  100 miles from San Diego coast

When a similar event occurred again around 9:30 PST on 14 November 2004, an operations officer aboard Princeton contacted two airborne U.S. Navy Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from USS Nimitz, flying a combat exercise at the time. The aircraft were two-seat variants, and each pilot was accompanied by a weapon systems officer (WSO). The lead Super Hornet was piloted by Commander David Fravor, commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 41. The second fighter, flying as wingman, included Lieutenant Commander Jim Slaight as one of the two officers aboard.[5]

Princeton's radio operator directly instructed the pilots to change their course and investigate the unidentified radar spot observed by Princeton's own radar.[4] A radio operator on Princeton, however, asked the pilots if they were carrying operational weapons, to which the pilots replied that they were not.[4] The weather conditions for that day showed excellent visibility with a blue sky, no cloud cover, and a calm sea.

As the pilots looked down at the sea, they noticed a turbulent oval area of churning water with foam and frothy waves "the size of a Boeing 737 airplane"[16] with a smoother area of lighter color at the center, as if the waves were breaking over something just under the surface.[16] A few seconds later, they noticed an unusual object hovering with erratic movements at a height they estimated to be about 50 feet (15 m) above the churning water. Both Fravor[17] and Slaight later described the object as a large bright white Tic Tac, 30 to 46 feet (9.1 to 14.0 m) long, with no windshield nor porthole, no wing nor empennage, and no visible engine nor exhaust plume.[18][17][19][20]

Fravor began a circular descent to approach the object.[16] As Fravor further descended, he reported that the object began ascending along a curved path, maintaining some distance from the F-18, mirroring its trajectory in opposite circles.[16][17] Fravor then made a more aggressive maneuver, plunging his fighter to aim below the object, but at this point the UFO apparently accelerated and disappeared in less than two seconds, leaving the pilots "pretty weirded out".[16][20]

Subsequently, the two fighter jets began a new course to the combat air patrol (CAP) rendezvous point. "Within seconds" Princeton radioed the jets that a radar target had appeared 60 miles (97 km) away at the predetermined rendezvous point. According to Popular Mechanics, a physical object would have had to move greater than 2,400 miles per hour (3,900 km/h) to reach the CAP ahead of the Navy fighters. Their jets have a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 (1,190 miles per hour (1,920 km/h)). To actually get there "within seconds" would have required an air speed of at least 42,000 miles per hour (68,000 km/h). Two other jets went to investigate the new radar location, but "By the time the Super Hornets arrived [...] the object had already disappeared." Both F-18s then returned to Nimitz.[4] Commander Fravor reflected on his sighting: "I have no idea what I saw. It had no plumes, wings or rotors and outran our F-18s. But I want to fly one".[5]

Infrared footage

An unclassified and redacted summary of the event released by the US military
A Raytheon ATFLIR Targeting Pod

After the return of the first team to Nimitz, a second team took off at approximately 12:00 PST, this time equipped with an advanced infrared camera (FLIR pod). This camera recorded what appeared to be a moving object. The footage was publicly released by the Pentagon more than 13 years later, on 16 December 2017, alongside the revelation of the funding of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.[6][8][7]

This footage is known as the 2004 USS Nimitz FLIR1 video. Aside from a 2015 secondhand story on FighterSweep.com, the 2017 release was the first time the story was made public.[4] A second film of infrared footage, known as the GIMBAL video, was released by the Pentagon alongside the 2004 FLIR1 footage. Although the media often present the two videos together to illustrate the 2004 USS Nimitz UFO incident, the GIMBAL video is unrelated, and was filmed on the East Coast of the United States at an unknown date.[16]

In May 2019, journalists from Las Vegas station KLAS 10 determined that the videos were indeed released by the Pentagon, and not by any private individuals or organizations.[21]

Mainstream views

Defense and security writer Kyle Mizokami suggested three possibilities that could explain the sightings. The first is equipment malfunction or misinterpretation; USS Princeton's radars and the Super Hornets' electro-optical sensors and radars could have malfunctioned, or the crew could have misinterpreted a number of natural phenomena. The second is classified government technology. Mizokami's third possibility was that the sightings were caused by objects of extraterrestrial origin.[4][8] The New York Times included a disclaimer in its reporting of the incident: "Experts caution that earthly explanations often exist for such incidents, and that not knowing the explanation does not mean that the event has interstellar origins".[5]

Physicist Don Lincoln suggested that it was "very unlikely that what these pilots are reporting turns out to be an unfriendly superweapon or an alien craft," however he explained that he would like to see the reports investigated "under the premise that the best science is done when as many opinions are considered as possible, preferably in the open and subject to peer review." According to Lincoln, "unidentified doesn't mean flying saucer or a Russian superweapon. It merely means unidentified."[22][23]

Science journalist Dennis Overbye argued a "stubborn residue" of unexplained aerial phenomena remain after review. Overbye highlighted that some of these accounts are obtained from respected observers such as military pilots. However, he cautioned, "as modern psychology and neuroscience have established, the senses are an unreliable portal to reality, whatever that is."[24]

According to Steve Cummings of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, the video images captured by a Raytheon-made Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) sensor are not definitive proof that the jet pilots were chasing an actual UFO. Cummings noted, "To really be sure, we would need the raw data. Visual displays alone are not the best evidence".[25]

The Washington Post identified David Fravor as "the commanding officer of the VFA-41 Black Aces," at the time of the 2004 incident.[26] The Blade of Toledo, Ohio stated Fravor retired from military service in 2006, after a 24-year career, including 18 years as a Navy pilot and deployments in Iraq that began during Operation Desert Storm. Fravor stated the identities of other Naval officers aboard the two fighter jets during his mission on 14 November 2004 had not been released publicly as they were still active in the military at the time of The Blade publication in 2018.[27]

Television

References

  1. ^ Fravor, David (June 28, 2018). "Ret Navy Com David Fravor". Phenomenon Radio (Interview). Interviewed by Linda Moulton Howe. KGRA. Retrieved December 20, 2018 – via Spreaker.
  2. ^ Phelan, Matthew (December 19, 2019). "Navy Pilot Who Filmed the 'Tic Tac' UFO Speaks: 'It Wasn't Behaving by the Normal Laws of Physics'". New York Magazne. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "There I Was: The X-Files Edition". SOFREP. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Mizokami, Kyle (December 18, 2017). "That Time the U.S. Navy Had a Close Encounter With a UFO". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e Cooper, Helene; Kean, Leslie; Blumenthal, Ralph (December 16, 2017). "2 Navy Airmen and an Object That 'Accelerated Like Nothing I've Ever Seen'". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Cooper, Helene; Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (December 16, 2017). "Glowing Auras and 'Black Money': The Pentagon's Mysterious U.F.O. Program". The New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Bender, Bryan (December 16, 2017). "The Pentagon's Secret Search for UFOs". Politico. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c Warrick, Joby (December 16, 2017). "Head of Pentagon's secret 'UFO' office sought to make evidence public". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  9. ^ Mellon, Christopher (March 9, 2018). "The military keeps encountering UFOs. Why doesn't the Pentagon care?". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  10. ^ Simkins, J. D. (April 25, 2019). "Aliens, ahoy! Navy developing guidelines on reporting UFO sightings". Navy Times. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  11. ^ Greenewald, John (September 11, 2019). "U.S. Navy Releases Dates of Three Officially Acknowledged Encounters with "Phenomena"". The Black Vault. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  12. ^ Little, Becky. "Navy Confirms UFO Videos Are Real and Show Unidentified Aerial Phenomena". HISTORY. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  13. ^ Kreidler, Marc (May 1, 2018). "Navy Pilot's 2004 UFO: A Comedy of Errors | Skeptical Inquirer". Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  14. ^ a b McMillan, Tim (November 12, 2019). "The Witnesses". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  15. ^ Chierici, Paco (March 14, 2015). "There I Was: The X-Files Edition". FighterSweep.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Finucane, Martin (January 16, 2018). "This former Navy pilot, who once chased a UFO, says we should take them seriously". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  17. ^ a b c "Secretive program tracked UFOs for 5 years". CNN. December 18, 2017. Event occurs at 0:33. Retrieved September 23, 2019 – via YouTube. It looks like a 40-foot-long Tic Tac, with no wings.
  18. ^ McCarthy, Kelly (December 18, 2017). "Navy pilot recalls encounter with UFO: 'I think it was not from this world'". ABC News. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  19. ^ Fravor, David (December 19, 2017). "Navy Pilot on Encounter with UFO: "Not from This World"". Erin Burnett OutFront (Interview). Interviewed by Jim Sciutto. CNN. Retrieved September 25, 2019 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ a b Fravor, David (December 20, 2017). "Navy pilot recalls 'out of this world' encounter" (Interview). Interviewed by Tucker Carlson. Fox News. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  21. ^ "Confirmed: Pentagon did release UFO videos". WTEN. May 1, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  22. ^ Lincoln, Don (December 20, 2017). "Keep looking for UFOs". CNN. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  23. ^ "The Modern Search for U.F.O.s". The Takeaway. WNYC. December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  24. ^ Overbye, Dennis (December 29, 2017). "U.F.O.s: Is This All There Is?". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  25. ^ "Navy pilots used Raytheon tech to track a strange UFO". Raytheon. December 19, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  26. ^ Rosenberg, Eli (December 18, 2017). "Former Navy pilot describes UFO encounter studied by secret Pentagon program". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  27. ^ Henry, Tom (April 1, 2018). "Close encounters of the Toledo kind: Fravor pursued UFO in 2004". The Blade. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  28. ^ Daugherty, Greg (May 16, 2019). "When Top Gun Pilots Tangled with a Baffling Tic-Tac-Shaped UFO". History Channel. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  29. ^ "The Nimitz Encounters film about the USS Nimitz USS Princeton CSG-11 and VFA-41 intercepts of UFOs Nov 14th 2004". TheNimitzEncounters.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.


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