Senior Chief Kevin Day
Senior Chief Kevin Day was the Air Intercept Controller and Combat Information Center (CIC) supervisor aboard the USS Princeton during the November 2004 USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group operations off the coast of San Diego. Day was responsible for monitoring the ship's AN/SPY-1B radar system, one of the most advanced naval radar systems in the world, which tracked the unidentified objects for approximately two weeks before the November 14 encounter.
Day has stated that the radar system detected multiple anomalous contacts exhibiting unusual flight characteristics, including rapid descent from high altitude (approximately 80,000 feet) to near sea level (approximately 20,000 feet) and back. These tracks, which he termed "anomalous aerial vehicles," prompted Day to vector Fravor and Dietrich to investigate on November 14, 2004.
As the radar operator who first tracked the objects and vectored the intercepting aircraft, Day is a critical witness to the instrumentation side of the Nimitz encounter. His testimony establishes that the objects were detected by one of the Navy's most sophisticated radar systems over an extended period, lending technical credibility to the pilot observations.
On-Record Interviews
Documentary featuring Kevin Day and other witnesses from the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. Day describes the radar tracking, the decision to vector interceptors, and the two weeks of anomalous radar contacts preceding the November 14 encounter.
On-Record Statements
"They would drop from 28,000 feet, go straight down, come back up, go straight down. And I'm looking at this going, 'What the hell is that?'"
On the radar tracks observed in the weeks before the encounter
"We had been tracking these things for two weeks. I called them 'anomalous aerial vehicles' because I didn't know what else to call them."
Documentary interview
"I said, 'Hey Boss, you gotta see this.' I had six to eight of them on scope coming down from the north."
On alerting his commanding officer to the radar contacts
Technical Context: AN/SPY-1B Radar
The USS Princeton is equipped with the AN/SPY-1B phased array radar system, a cornerstone of the Aegis Combat System. This radar is designed for simultaneous tracking of hundreds of targets across all altitudes and is considered one of the most capable naval radar systems in the world. The system's ability to detect and track the anomalous objects over an extended period is significant because it provides instrument data independent of visual observation.
Day's role as Air Intercept Controller meant he was responsible for interpreting radar data and coordinating fighter intercepts. His decision to vector Fravor and Dietrich to investigate was based on two weeks of accumulated data showing repeated anomalous behavior in the same geographic area. This establishes that the November 14 encounter was not an isolated incident but the culmination of an extended observation period.