Navy fighter pilots have recorded encounters with objects they could not identify. Here is what happened, what the Pentagon confirmed, and what is explained.
In April 2020, the Pentagon officially released three declassified videos recorded by Navy fighter pilots. The footage became the foundation for public awareness of UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, the government’s current term replacing UFO) and prompted congressional hearings.
The 2004 USS Nimitz Encounter
The incident that changed public awareness of UAP involved the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group operating off the coast of Southern California on November 14, 2004. It remains one of the most well-documented UAP encounters in military history.
According to the New York Times, the USS Princeton (CG-59), which was part of the Nimitz strike group, had been tracking anomalous aircraft on radar for approximately two weeks before the encounter. The objects appeared at approximately 80,000 feet, descended rapidly toward the sea, stopped at approximately 20,000 feet, and hovered. These radar contacts would appear and disappear over the two-week period, leading the Princeton’s radar operators to reset their systems multiple times.
Commander David Fravor, commanding officer of the VFA-41 Black Aces, was conducting a training exercise when he was directed to investigate the radar returns. Fravor reported seeing a white, oval object approximately 40 feet long hovering above a churning disturbance in the ocean. As Fravor spiraled downward to get closer, the object mirrored his trajectory, ascending to meet him. When Fravor attempted to cut off the object, it accelerated so quickly that it appeared to disappear. A total of four people in two aircraft, Fravor, weapons systems officer Lieutenant Commander Alex Dietrich, and two weapons systems officers in the back seats, observed the object for approximately five minutes.
Approximately one hour later, a second wave of fighters launched from the Nimitz. Lieutenant Commander Chad Underwood, whose aircraft was equipped with an AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR (Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared) pod, a targeting system that combines infrared and electro-optical sensors, recorded the now-famous infrared video. According to New York Magazine, Underwood coined the term “Tic Tac” to describe the infrared image of the object. Underwood later explained that the term was partly inspired by a joke in the 1980 comedy Airplane!. Unlike Fravor, Underwood did not observe the object with his own eyes. He stated: “I was more concerned with tracking it, making sure that the videotape was on so that I could bring something back to the ship, so that the intel folks could dissect whatever it is that I captured.”
The USS Princeton’s radar operators recorded the object reappearing approximately 60 miles from Fravor’s jet just seconds after he observed it pull away from his aircraft, according to National Geographic.
The 2014-2015 USS Theodore Roosevelt Encounters
During 2014 and 2015, fighter pilots associated with the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group were conducting training operations off the East Coast of the United States when they began encountering unidentified objects on their instruments.
Pilots reported that the objects had no visible engine or infrared exhaust plumes but could reach 30,000 feet and hypersonic speeds. According to the Washington Post, the Navy confirmed the videos were authentic but asked the public to stop calling them UFOs. The encounters produced two infrared video recordings that became known as “GIMBAL” and “GOFAST.”
GIMBAL
The GIMBAL video, recorded on January 20, 2015, shows a bright, hot target hovering above a cloud deck. On the audio recording, a pilot is heard saying “Look at that thing, dude” and “It’s rotating.” The object appears to rotate relative to the camera frame. According to UAPedia, the pilots noted on the intercom that they could see “a whole fleet” on their situational awareness display, suggesting the tracked object was not operating alone. The date is confirmed by the Wikipedia entry on Pentagon UFO videos.
The GIMBAL video has generated significant debate. Skeptical investigator Mick West has demonstrated that the apparent rotation could be the result of an optical effect: the AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR pod produces asymmetric glare from bright infrared sources, and when the system’s gimbal mechanism derotates the image (compensating for aircraft movement), the glare can appear to rotate even if the target itself does not. West’s analysis is documented on Metabunk. However, this explanation addresses only the rotation. It does not account for the multiple radar tracks reported by pilots or the fleet context described in their testimony.
GOFAST
The GOFAST video, recorded in early 2015, shows a colder target above the ocean surface. When the ATFLIR pod locks on, the object appears to skim the waves at extreme speed.
AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office) published a reconstruction suggesting that GOFAST could be consistent with a wind-drifting object at higher altitude that appears fast due to parallax. According to this model, the object was approximately 13,000 feet high and moving at modest speeds. However, AARO has not closed the case. Their model is a proposal, not a resolution. It does not incorporate the larger fleet context described by pilots. The DoD still classifies GOFAST as unidentified. No radar data or full telemetry has been released publicly.
Other Roosevelt-Era Encounters
GIMBAL and GOFAST were not isolated incidents. According to former Navy pilot Lieutenant Ryan Graves, who spoke at the July 2023 congressional hearing and in multiple media interviews, pilots with the Roosevelt strike group were encountering unidentified objects on a daily basis for months during their training exercises. Graves stated that the objects appeared as stationary or slow-moving targets in restricted airspace where no other aircraft should have been operating.
The 2019 Navy Ship Incidents
Additional UAP incidents involving Navy ships occurred in 2019, adding to the growing record of unexplained encounters. Unlike the 2004 and 2015 incidents, which involved fighter aircraft, the 2019 incidents were recorded from surface ships using onboard surveillance systems.
USS Russell (July 2019)
In April 2021, Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough confirmed that video footage showing an apparent triangular or pyramidal object in the sky had been taken by Navy personnel aboard the USS Russell (DDG-59) in July 2019. The footage was recorded from the destroyer’s deck using a night-vision device. Skeptical investigator Mick West suggested the triangular shape was the result of an optical effect called bokeh, which can make out-of-focus light sources appear triangular or pyramidal due to the shape of the camera aperture. West demonstrated that the same triangular pattern could be produced by pointing a similar camera at out-of-focus lights.
USS Omaha (July 2019)
Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough also confirmed a video recorded aboard the USS Omaha (LCS-12) on July 15, 2019. The video, recorded through an infrared camera at night, purportedly shows a spherical object flying over the ocean before stopping and descending into the water. West suggested the object could have been a plane, noting that “what we’ve got to go with here is the simplest explanation and really the simplest explanation is that it’s just a plane. It moves like a plane, it acts like a plane.” The Pentagon confirmed the footage was under review by the UAP Task Force.
What the Pentagon Confirmed: Navy Pilot UAP Encounters Explained
The Pentagon’s response to Navy UAP encounters has gone through several phases, moving from silence to official confirmation:
- February 2020: The Navy confirmed that intelligence briefings were presented to members of Congress by naval intelligence officials regarding UAP encounters, according to the Wikipedia entry on Pentagon UFO videos. This marked the first official acknowledgment that UAP encounters were being taken seriously at the congressional level.
- September 2019: Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough confirmed the released videos were made by naval aviators and stated they are “part of a larger issue of an increased number of training range incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena in recent years.”
- April 27, 2020: The Department of Defense formally released the three original Navy videos (FLIR, GIMBAL, and GOFAST). The DoD stated the videos were genuine and the objects remained unidentified. This was significant because it removed ambiguity about whether the footage was authentic or misattributed.
- April 2021: Gough confirmed video footage of a triangular object from USS Russell and photographs described as “sphere,” “acorn,” and “metallic blimp.”
- May 2021: Gough confirmed a second video from USS Omaha under review by the UAP Task Force.
- 2021 ODNI Report: The Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed that UAP encounters were generating near-miss hazard reports, training interruptions, aircrew safety concerns, and persistent radar tracks in restricted areas.
The Pentagon has not publicly resolved the Nimitz encounter, the GIMBAL video, or the GOFAST video. Each remains classified as unidentified.
What Skeptics Say
Skeptical investigators have proposed explanations for several of these encounters:
- FLIR (Tic Tac): Mick West has suggested the infrared recording could show a distant commercial aircraft. The video was recorded approximately one hour after Fravor’s visual encounter and does not necessarily show the same object.
- GIMBAL: The rotation effect could be explained by asymmetric glare and the gimbal derotation mechanism of the ATFLIR pod, according to optical engineers who analyzed the footage.
- GOFAST: AARO’s parallax model suggests the object was at higher altitude than it appeared, moving at wind speed (AARO parallax analysis, 2024). Parallax is an optical effect where an object’s apparent position changes when viewed from different angles, which can make slow-moving objects appear to travel at high speed when filmed from a moving aircraft. The same effect makes the moon appear to follow you when you drive. NASA’s 2023 UAP study noted that without range data, human perception of speed and distance becomes unreliable (NASA UAP Independent Study Team Report, 2023).
- USS Russell: The triangular shape could be bokeh, an optical artifact created by the camera aperture. Bokeh occurs when out-of-focus light sources take on the shape of the camera’s aperture, which in many military cameras is triangular.
However, skeptical explanations for individual videos do not address the larger operational context. Pilots reported encountering multiple objects over extended periods, with radar confirmation from ship-based systems and E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. According to CBS News, retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Alex Dietrich said of the 2004 encounter: “It was unidentified. And that’s why it was so unsettling to us. Because we weren’t expecting it. We couldn’t classify it.” This fleet-level context, multiple sensors, multiple witnesses, extended timeframes, is why the DoD has not accepted individual skeptical resolutions for any of the confirmed videos. The debate highlights a fundamental challenge in UAP investigation: distinguishing between genuine anomalies and the limitations of human perception and sensor technology.
What This Means
The Navy pilot encounters remain the most credible publicly available evidence of UAP activity. Several factors make these cases significant:
- Multiple sensors: The encounters were detected by radar, infrared cameras, and visual observation simultaneously. Single-sensor anomalies are easier to dismiss. When multiple independent sensors record the same object, the likelihood of a single technical artifact decreases.
- Trained observers: The pilots involved are career naval aviators trained to identify aircraft at distance and speed. They operate multimillion-dollar sensor systems daily. Their assessments carry professional weight that casual civilian observations do not.
- Official confirmation: The Pentagon has officially released the videos and confirmed the objects remain unidentified. This is not civilian speculation or leaked footage. The government has put its name on these recordings.
- Ongoing encounters: These were not one-off events. Pilots reported daily encounters over weeks and months, suggesting a persistent phenomenon rather than a single anomaly or sensor glitch.
- Congressional attention: These encounters directly contributed to the 2023 and 2024 congressional UAP hearings. The July 2023 hearing featured testimony from David Fravor and Ryan Graves alongside intelligence official David Grusch, leading to bipartisan support for UAP transparency legislation.
- Operational significance: The encounters occurred in military operating areas, which have controlled but not sealed access. Other military traffic and approved aircraft can be present. The concern was not that nothing should have been there, but that what was detected did not match any known track and displayed capabilities beyond known aircraft. Pilots reported that objects posed collision risks during training exercises.
- Sensor limitations revealed: The debates around GIMBAL and GOFAST highlight the limitations of even advanced military sensor systems. Optical effects, parallax, and sensor artifacts can create ambiguous data that requires careful interpretation, even for trained operators.
The gap between what pilots observed and what has been publicly explained remains significant. The Pentagon has not released radar data, full telemetry, or complete video recordings for any of the confirmed encounters. Until that data is made available, the question of what Navy pilots encountered remains open.
YouTube Videos
Commander David Fravor’s account of the November 2004 encounter with the Tic Tac object off the coast of Southern California.
Compilation of confirmed military UAP incidents including pilot and astronaut reports, 2025 documentary.
Navy pilots share their firsthand experiences with UAP encounters in this NOVA PBS segment.
Sources
Primary Documents and Official Statements
DoD Press Release (April 27, 2020): Pentagon formally releases three declassified Navy videos with statement that objects remain unidentified.
NavAir FOIA Documents: Original Navy files for GIMBAL and GOFAST videos released under FOIA.
AARO UAP Imagery: Official All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office page with imagery and case files.
Reporting and Analysis
The New York Times: ‘Wow, What Is That?’ Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects: First major report on Navy pilot encounters off the East Coast.
New York Magazine: ‘Tic Tac’ UFO Video Q&A with Navy Pilot Chad Underwood: Underwood’s account of recording the FLIR video and coining the “Tic Tac” name.
CBS News: The Story Behind the ‘Tic Tac’ UFO Sighting: Detailed account of Fravor and Dietrich’s 2004 encounter and congressional testimony.
National Geographic: How the Pentagon Learned to Start Worrying and Investigate UFOs: Analysis of Pentagon report findings including radar confirmation of Tic Tac reappearing 60 miles away.
Vice: The Skeptic’s Guide to the Pentagon’s UFO Videos: Mick West’s analysis of optical effects in the Navy recordings.
Leonard David: Debunking Navy UFO Videos: Overview of skeptical explanations for FLIR, GIMBAL, and GOFAST.
Reference
Wikipedia: Pentagon UFO Videos: Detailed overview of all Pentagon-confirmed Navy videos with citations to primary sources.
UAPedia: The Roosevelt Encounters: Detailed analysis of GIMBAL and GOFAST including ATFLIR mechanics and fleet context.
Related Articles
Pentagon Confirmed UAP Videos: The official releases, timeline, and what each video shows.
UAP Hearing Key Takeaways Summary: Summary of all three congressional UAP hearings since 2022.
Congressional UAP Hearing 2024: What witnesses told Congress about UAP in the November 2024 hearing.
AARO: The Pentagon’s UAP Office: What AARO does and its track record.