Pentagon UFO videos: Difference between revisions
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==Potential explanations== |
==Potential explanations== |
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As of 2020, the aerial phenomena recorded from the ''Nimitz'' and ''Roosevelt'' events are characterized by the US Department of Defense as "unidentified".<ref name=Kooser2/><ref name=Kooser1/> Widespread media attention to these events has motivated theories and speculations from private individuals and groups about the underlying explanation(s), including those focused upon [[pseudoscience]] topics such as [[ufology]]. Regarding the [[pseudoscientific]] explanations, writer Matthew Gault stated |
As of 2020, the aerial phenomena recorded from the ''Nimitz'' and ''Roosevelt'' events are characterized by the US Department of Defense as "unidentified".<ref name=Kooser2/><ref name=Kooser1/> Widespread media attention to these events has motivated theories and speculations from private individuals and groups about the underlying explanation(s), including those focused upon [[pseudoscience]] topics such as [[ufology]]. Regarding the [[pseudoscientific]] explanations, writer Matthew Gault stated" We have seen countless blurry, easy to dismiss footage of suspected UFOs since people were able to get their hands on cameras. These videos, which document what both the military and UFOlogists call "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," (UAP) are different. They are compelling footage and accompanying audio that’s been captured and released by the military. They are accompanied by credible eyewitnesses who are pilots with hundreds of hours of flight experience, not a couple of drunk people who saw some flashes over a lake and snapped photos on their cell phone."<ref name=VICE>{{cite web |last1=Gault |first1=Matthew |title=The Skeptic’s Guide to the Pentagon’s UFO Videos |url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7wjzg/the-skeptics-guide-to-the-pentagons-ufo-videos |website=Vice |publisher=Vice Media LLC |date=2020-05-06 }}</ref> |
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[[File:Parallax_scroll.gif|thumb|right|Because of parallax, perceived differences in motion can be interpreted as being due either to faster speeds or closer distances. In this animation, assuming that all the objects are stationary and that the observer is moving gives an illusion of considerable differences in distance between the three scenes. However, the animation only shows three different overlapping outlines moving at different speeds.]] |
[[File:Parallax_scroll.gif|thumb|right|Because of parallax, perceived differences in motion can be interpreted as being due either to faster speeds or closer distances. In this animation, assuming that all the objects are stationary and that the observer is moving gives an illusion of considerable differences in distance between the three scenes. However, the animation only shows three different overlapping outlines moving at different speeds.]] |
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Mundane, non- |
Mundane, non-UFO explanations by skeptics include instrument or software malfunction/anomaly/artifact,<ref>{{Cite web|title='UFO' videos declassified by US Navy|url=https://www.space.com/ufos-videos-declassified-navy-release.html|last=April 2020|first=Mindy Weisberger 28|website=Space.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Navy Pilot’s 2004 UFO: A Comedy of Errors {{!}} Skeptical Inquirer|url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2018/05/navy-pilots-2004-ufo-a-comedy-of-errors/|last=Kreidler|first=Marc|date=2018-05-01|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-15}}</ref> human observational illusion (e.g., [[parallax]]) or interpretive error,<ref name="NYT" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Plait |first1=Phil |title=So, those Navy videos showing UFOs? I’m not saying it’s not aliens, but it’s not aliens. |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/navy-videos-showing-ufos-not-aliens |website=SYFY Wirs |publisher=SYFY |date=2020-05-01 |accessdate=2020-05-15}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{cite news|last1=Lincoln|first1=Don|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/21/opinions/pilots-seeing-ufos-opinion-lincoln/index.html|title=Why pilots are seeing UFOs|date=June 21, 2019|accessdate=24 March 2020|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref><ref name="overbye">{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye|title=U.F.O.s: Is This All There Is? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/29/science/ufos-aliens-space-travel.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 29, 2017|access-date=December 31, 2017}}</ref> or common aircraft (e.g., a passenger airliner) or aerial device (e.g., weather balloon), with the science writer [[Mick West]] stating that the reported objects in these incidents are "most likely...a relatively slow-moving object like a bird or a balloon," and that "the jet filming it is moving fast, so this creates an illusion of speed against the ocean."<ref name=Kooser2>{{cite web |last1=Kooser |first1=Amanda |title=The Pentagon releases three classified 'UFO' videos filmed by US Navy |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/the-pentagon-releases-three-classified-ufo-videos-filmed-by-us-navy/ |website=cnet |publisher=CBS Interactive Inc |date=2020-04-27 |accessdate=2020-05-15}}</ref><ref name=Kooser1>{{cite web |last1=Kooser |first1=Amanda |title=UFO caught on video? Skeptics weigh in on weird footage |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/ufo-navy-airplane-video-skeptics-weigh-in-to-the-stars/ |website=cnet |publisher=CBS Interactive Inc |date=2018-03-14|accessdate=2020-05-15}}</ref> West stated that the GIMBAL video can be explained as footage of a distant plane with the apparent rotation actually being the glare in the IR camera rotating.<ref name=VICE /> Pilots and other eye witnesses have rejected these explanations.<ref name=VICE/> |
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Following the congressional hearings and in order to encourage pilots to flag disturbances that "have been occurring regularly since 2014," the US Navy announced it had updated the way pilots were to formally report unexplained aerial observations.<ref name=":022"/> Commenting on these updated guidelines, a spokesman for the deputy [[Chief of Naval Operations]] said, "The intent of the message to the fleet is to provide updated guidance on reporting procedures for suspected intrusions into our airspace."<ref name="NYT" /> Regarding the new guidelines, the spokesman said that one possible explanation for the increase in reported intrusions could be the rise in availability of unmanned aerial systems such as [[quadrocopter]]s.<ref name=":022" /> |
Following the congressional hearings and in order to encourage pilots to flag disturbances that "have been occurring regularly since 2014," the US Navy announced it had updated the way pilots were to formally report unexplained aerial observations.<ref name=":022"/> Commenting on these updated guidelines, a spokesman for the deputy [[Chief of Naval Operations]] said, "The intent of the message to the fleet is to provide updated guidance on reporting procedures for suspected intrusions into our airspace."<ref name="NYT" /> Regarding the new guidelines, the spokesman said that one possible explanation for the increase in reported intrusions could be the rise in availability of unmanned aerial systems such as [[quadrocopter]]s.<ref name=":022" /> |
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Retired [[Admiral]] [[Gary Roughead]], who commanded both the [[Atlantic Fleet (United States)|Atlantic]] and [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleets]] before serving as [[Chief of Naval Operations]] from 2007 to 2011, said in 2020 that in his time, "most of the assessments were inconclusive" as to what these videos showed. In the context of a lecture on China's 21st century military strategy, Roughead commented that development of unmanned autonomous aircraft that had the capability to be used as submersible military assets was a priority of the US, as well as other nations such as China and Russia.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cox|first=Billy|date=2020-01-15|title=Former Navy Admiral Says UFO Analyses 'Inconclusive'|language=en|website=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]], on [[Military.com]]|url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/15/former-navy-admiral-says-ufo-analyses-inconclusive.html|access-date=2020-08-20}}</ref> |
Retired [[Admiral]] [[Gary Roughead]], who commanded both the [[Atlantic Fleet (United States)|Atlantic]] and [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleets]] before serving as [[Chief of Naval Operations]] from 2007 to 2011, said in 2020 that in his time, "most of the assessments were inconclusive" as to what these videos showed. In the context of a lecture on China's 21st century military strategy, Roughead commented that development of unmanned autonomous aircraft that had the capability to be used as submersible military assets was a priority of the US, as well as other nations such as China and Russia.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cox|first=Billy|date=2020-01-15|title=Former Navy Admiral Says UFO Analyses 'Inconclusive'|language=en|website=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]], on [[Military.com]]|url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/15/former-navy-admiral-says-ufo-analyses-inconclusive.html|access-date=2020-08-20}}</ref> |
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Dismissing hyperbolic speculation about the videos and "aliens", notable skeptic [[Michael Shermer]] opined: "[[Sagan standard|Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence]]. So how extraordinary is the evidence for that extraordinary claim? It's not even ordinary. It's piss poor evidence."<ref>https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7wjzg/the-skeptics-guide-to-the-pentagons-ufo-videos</ref> While former Pentagon [[Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program]] investigator Luis Elizondo finds that the evidence does suggest UFOs may have reached Earth.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Evidence suggests UFOs may have reached Earth, says former Pentagon official Luis Elizondo - ABC News|url=https://amp.abc.net.au/article/9275134|access-date=2021-01-03|website=amp.abc.net.au}}</ref> Elizondo lists these videos as showing extraordinary, logic-defying capabilities of a UFO. Exemplifying what he calls the “five observables": Anti-gravity lift, Sudden and instantaneous acceleration, Hypersonic velocities without signatures, Low observability or cloaking and Trans-medium travel.<ref>{{Cite web|title=These 5 UFO Traits, Captured on Video by Navy Fighters, Defy Explanation {{!}} HISTORY|url=https://www.history.com/.amp/news/ufo-sightings-speed-appearance-movement|access-date=2021-01-03|website=www.history.com}}</ref> Former aviation editor for [[Jane's Defence Weekly|Jane’s Defense Weekly]] [[Nick Cook (writer)|Nick Cook]] stated to [[Popular Mechanics]] that the “Tic Tac” UFO was not likely some type of classified drone. And "In the balance of probabilities, I don’t think it’s ‘ours’ ".<ref>{{Cite web|last=McMillan|first=Tim|title=Navy UFO {{!}} UFO Sightings {{!}} The Truth About the Navy's UFOs|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a29771548/navy-ufo-witnesses-tell-truth/|access-date=2021-01-03|website=www.popularmechanics.com|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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Dismissing hyperbolic speculation about the videos and "aliens", pseudoscience expert [[Michael Shermer]] opined: "[[Sagan standard|Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence]]. So how extraordinary is the evidence for that extraordinary claim? It's not even ordinary. It's piss poor evidence."<ref>https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7wjzg/the-skeptics-guide-to-the-pentagons-ufo-videos</ref> |
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== In popular culture == |
== In popular culture == |
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Revision as of 01:30, 4 January 2021
The Pentagon UFO videos are selected visual recordings of cockpit instrumentation displays from United States Navy fighter jets based aboard aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2004, 2014 and 2015. The three grainy, black and white videos, widely characterized as officially documenting UFOs, were the subject of extensive coverage in mainstream media in 2017, and later declassified by the Pentagon in 2020. Publicity surrounding the videos has prompted a number of explanations, including drones or unidentified terrestrial aircraft, anomalous or artefactual instrument readings, physical observational phenomena (e.g., parallax), human observational and interpretive error, and, as is typical in the context of such incidents, extraordinary speculations of alien spacecraft.[1]
Background
On November 14, 2004, fighter pilot Commander David Fravor of the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group investigated radar indications of a possible target off the coast of Southern California.[2][3][4][5] Fravor said that he saw an object, white and oval like a Tic Tac, hovering above an ocean disturbance. He estimated that it was about 40 feet long.[5][2] A second wave of fighters, including pilot Lieutenant Commander Chad Underwood, took off from the Nimitz to investigate.[6] Unlike Fravor, Underwood's fighter was equipped with an advanced infrared camera.[6] Underwood recorded the FLIR video, but did not himself see any unusual object.[6]
During 2014–2015, fighter pilots associated with the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group were operating off the East Coast of the United States when they recorded the GIMBAL and GOFAST videos while reporting instrument detections of unknown aerial objects which the pilots were unable to identify. [7][8]
Release of videos
On December 16, 2017, the New York Times reported on the incidents and published three videos, termed “FLIR,” “GIMBAL,” and “GOFAST” purporting to show encounters by jets from Nimitz and Theodore Roosevelt with unusually shaped, fast-moving aircraft. The reports became subject to "fevered speculation by UFO investigators."[9] Those stories have been criticized by journalism professor Keith Kloor as "a curious narrative that appears to be driven by thinly-sourced and slanted reporting." According to Kloor, "Cursory attention has been given to the most likely, prosaic explanations. Instead, the coverage has, for the most part, taken a quizzical, mysterious frame that plays off the catchy “UFO” tag in the headline."[10]
The videos, featuring cockpit display data and infrared imagery, were initially provided to the press by Luis Elizondo, the former head of Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, the Department of Defense's investigation. Elizondo had resigned from the Pentagon in October 2017 to protest government secrecy and opposition to the investigation, stating in a resignation letter to US Defense Secretary James Mattis that the program was not being taken seriously.[11] In September 2019, a Pentagon spokeswoman confirmed that the released videos were made by naval aviators and that they are, "part of a larger issue of an increased number of training range incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena in recent years."[12] On April 27, 2020, the Pentagon formally released the three videos.[13][14][15][16]
In February 2020, the US Navy confirmed that, in response to inquiries, congressional hearings presented by aviators and senior naval intelligence officials have been provided to members of Congress.[17][18][19][20]
Potential explanations
As of 2020, the aerial phenomena recorded from the Nimitz and Roosevelt events are characterized by the US Department of Defense as "unidentified".[21][22] Widespread media attention to these events has motivated theories and speculations from private individuals and groups about the underlying explanation(s), including those focused upon pseudoscience topics such as ufology. Regarding the pseudoscientific explanations, writer Matthew Gault stated" We have seen countless blurry, easy to dismiss footage of suspected UFOs since people were able to get their hands on cameras. These videos, which document what both the military and UFOlogists call "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena," (UAP) are different. They are compelling footage and accompanying audio that’s been captured and released by the military. They are accompanied by credible eyewitnesses who are pilots with hundreds of hours of flight experience, not a couple of drunk people who saw some flashes over a lake and snapped photos on their cell phone."[1]
Mundane, non-UFO explanations by skeptics include instrument or software malfunction/anomaly/artifact,[23][24] human observational illusion (e.g., parallax) or interpretive error,[7][25][26][27] or common aircraft (e.g., a passenger airliner) or aerial device (e.g., weather balloon), with the science writer Mick West stating that the reported objects in these incidents are "most likely...a relatively slow-moving object like a bird or a balloon," and that "the jet filming it is moving fast, so this creates an illusion of speed against the ocean."[21][22] West stated that the GIMBAL video can be explained as footage of a distant plane with the apparent rotation actually being the glare in the IR camera rotating.[1] Pilots and other eye witnesses have rejected these explanations.[1]
Following the congressional hearings and in order to encourage pilots to flag disturbances that "have been occurring regularly since 2014," the US Navy announced it had updated the way pilots were to formally report unexplained aerial observations.[14] Commenting on these updated guidelines, a spokesman for the deputy Chief of Naval Operations said, "The intent of the message to the fleet is to provide updated guidance on reporting procedures for suspected intrusions into our airspace."[7] Regarding the new guidelines, the spokesman said that one possible explanation for the increase in reported intrusions could be the rise in availability of unmanned aerial systems such as quadrocopters.[14]
The acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Marco Rubio says that he fears the UFOs in the videos may be Chinese or Russian technology.[28]
Retired Admiral Gary Roughead, who commanded both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets before serving as Chief of Naval Operations from 2007 to 2011, said in 2020 that in his time, "most of the assessments were inconclusive" as to what these videos showed. In the context of a lecture on China's 21st century military strategy, Roughead commented that development of unmanned autonomous aircraft that had the capability to be used as submersible military assets was a priority of the US, as well as other nations such as China and Russia.[29]
Dismissing hyperbolic speculation about the videos and "aliens", notable skeptic Michael Shermer opined: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. So how extraordinary is the evidence for that extraordinary claim? It's not even ordinary. It's piss poor evidence."[30] While former Pentagon Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program investigator Luis Elizondo finds that the evidence does suggest UFOs may have reached Earth.[31] Elizondo lists these videos as showing extraordinary, logic-defying capabilities of a UFO. Exemplifying what he calls the “five observables": Anti-gravity lift, Sudden and instantaneous acceleration, Hypersonic velocities without signatures, Low observability or cloaking and Trans-medium travel.[32] Former aviation editor for Jane’s Defense Weekly Nick Cook stated to Popular Mechanics that the “Tic Tac” UFO was not likely some type of classified drone. And "In the balance of probabilities, I don’t think it’s ‘ours’ ".[33]
In popular culture
- The videos were featured in Unidentified: Inside America's UFO Investigation, a 2019 History Channel series executive produced by Tom DeLonge.[9]
- On October 19, 2019, an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience featured the videos and interviewed Fravor.[34]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Gault, Matthew (2020-05-06). "The Skeptic's Guide to the Pentagon's UFO Videos". Vice. Vice Media LLC.
- ^ a b Cooper, Helene; Kean, Leslie; Blumenthal, Ralph (2017-12-16). "2 Navy Airmen and an Object That 'Accelerated Like Nothing I've Ever Seen'". The New York Times Co. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- ^ Bender, Bryan (December 16, 2017). "The Pentagon's Secret Search for UFOs". Politico. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ Mellon, Christopher (March 9, 2018). "The military keeps encountering UFOs. Why doesn't the Pentagon care?". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c Phelan, Matthew (19 December 2019). "Navy Pilot Who Filmed the 'Tic Tac' UFO Speaks: 'It Wasn't Behaving by the Normal Laws of Physics'". New York Magazine. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ a b c Cooper, Helene; Blumenthal, Ralph; Kean, Leslie (2019-05-26). "'Wow, What Is That?' Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ^ McMillan, Tim (2020-01-17). "The Tale of the Tape: The Long, Bizarre Saga of the Navy's UFO Video". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ^ a b Eghigian, Greg. "The Year of UFOs". airspacemag.com. Air & Space Magazine, February 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ Kloor, Keith. "Will The New York Times Ever Stop Reporting on UFOs?". wired.com. Wired. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ Hart, Benjamin (December 16, 2017). "Reports: The Pentagon Spent Millions on UFO Research". New York Magazine. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (2019-09-26). "How Blink-182's Tom DeLonge Became a U.F.O. Researcher". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
- ^ "Statement by the Department of Defense on the Release of Historical Na". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ a b c Epstein, Kayla. "Those UFO videos are real, the Navy says, but please stop saying 'UFO'". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ "Navy Confirms Existence of 'Unidentified' Flying Objects Seen in Leaked Footage". Time. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ "Yep, those are UFOs, Navy says about 3 videos of strange sightings". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ Bender, Bryan. "U.S. Navy drafting new guidelines for reporting UFOs". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ Bender, Bryan (2019-06-19). "Senators get classified briefing on UFO sightings". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ^ "Congress receive classified briefing on 'UFO encounters with US navy'". The Independent. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ^ McMillan, Tim (2020-02-14). "Inside the Pentagon's Secret UFO Program". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ a b Kooser, Amanda (2020-04-27). "The Pentagon releases three classified 'UFO' videos filmed by US Navy". cnet. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ a b Kooser, Amanda (2018-03-14). "UFO caught on video? Skeptics weigh in on weird footage". cnet. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ April 2020, Mindy Weisberger 28. "'UFO' videos declassified by US Navy". Space.com. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Kreidler, Marc (2018-05-01). "Navy Pilot's 2004 UFO: A Comedy of Errors | Skeptical Inquirer". Retrieved 2020-02-15.
- ^ Plait, Phil (2020-05-01). "So, those Navy videos showing UFOs? I'm not saying it's not aliens, but it's not aliens". SYFY Wirs. SYFY. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ Lincoln, Don (June 21, 2019). "Why pilots are seeing UFOs". CNN. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ Overbye, Dennis (December 29, 2017). "U.F.O.s: Is This All There Is?". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
- ^ "Marco Rubio Hopes UFOs Are Aliens, Not Chinese Planes". vice.com. 20 July 2020.
- ^ Cox, Billy (2020-01-15). "Former Navy Admiral Says UFO Analyses 'Inconclusive'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune, on Military.com. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
- ^ https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7wjzg/the-skeptics-guide-to-the-pentagons-ufo-videos
- ^ "Evidence suggests UFOs may have reached Earth, says former Pentagon official Luis Elizondo - ABC News". amp.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ "These 5 UFO Traits, Captured on Video by Navy Fighters, Defy Explanation | HISTORY". www.history.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ McMillan, Tim. "Navy UFO | UFO Sightings | The Truth About the Navy's UFOs". www.popularmechanics.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- ^ https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/tic-tac-ufo-video-q-and-a-with-navy-pilot-chad-underwood.html
External links
- Statement by the Department of Defense on the Release of Historical Navy Videos, April 27, 2020
- US Naval Air Systems Command FOIA Reading Room (containing FLIR.mp4, GOFAST.wmv, and Gimbal.wmv videos)
