something to chase down!

so is ED going to add in these beasties as reported by the new York post?

seems like something different to chase down in the F/A 18 :)

https://nypost.com/2017/12/17/eerie-footage-of-navy-pilots-spotting-unidentified-objects-released/

Looks like a fly found its way in between the camera lens and the protective window in the FLIR gimbal...

there must be a lot of flies then, for the WSO to also have them on his radar (ASR)

:)

there must be a lot of flies then, for the WSO to also have them on his radar (ASR)

:)

The WSO's in the same plane, seeing the same sensor. :) Makes sense to me that it could be a fly or debris inside the sensor that they're mistaking for an outside object. [shrug]

The WSO's in the same plane, seeing the same sensor. :) Makes sense to me that it could be a fly or debris inside the sensor that they're mistaking for an outside object. [shrug]

Well, here's the official report:

FAST EAGLES 110/100 UPON TAKE OFF WERE VECTORED BY PRINCETON AND BANGER (1410L) TO INTERCEPT UNID CONTACT AT 160@40NM (N3050.8 W11746.9) (NIMITZ N3129.3 W11752.8). PRINCETON INFORMED FAST EAGLES THAT THE CONTACT WAS MOVING AT 100 KTS @ 25KFT ASL.

FAST EAGLES (110/100) COULD NOT FIND UNID AIRBORNE CONTACT AT LOCATION GIVEN BY PRINCETON. WHILE SEARCHING FOR UNID AIR CONTACT, FAST EAGLES SPOTTED LARGE UNID OBJECT IN WATER AT 1430L. PILOTS SAW STEAM/ SMOKE/CHURNING AROUND OBJECT. PILOT DESCRIBES OBJECT INITIALLY AS RESEMBLING A DOWNED AIRLINER, ALSO STATED THAT IT WAS MUCH LARGER THAN A SUBMARINE.

WHILE DESCENDING FROM 24K FT TO GAIN A BETTER VIEW OF THE UNID CONTACT IN THE WATER, FAST EAGLE 110 SIGHTED AN AIRBORNE CONTACT WHICH APPEARED TO BE CAPSULE SHAPED (WINGLESS, MOBILE, WHITE, OBLONG PILL SHAPED, 25-30 FEET IN LENGTH, NO VISIBLE MARKINGS AND NO GLASS) 5NM WEST FROM POSITION OF UNID OBJECT IN WATER.

CAPSULE (ALT 4K FT AT COURSE 300) PASSED UNDER FAST EAGLE 110 (ALT 16KFT). FAST EAGLE 110 BEGAN TURN TO ACQUIRE CAPSULE. WHILE 110 WAS DESCENDING AND TURNING, CAPSULE BEGAN CLIMBING AND TURNED INSIDE OF FAST EAGLE’S TURN RADIUS. PILOT ESTIMATED THAT CAPSULE ACHIEVED 600-700 KTS. FAST EAGLE 110 COULD NOT KEEP UP WITH THE RATE OF TURN AND THE GAIN OF ALTITUDE BY THE CAPSULE. 110 LOST VISUAL ID OF CAPSULE IN HAZE.

LAST VISUAL CONTACT HAD CAPSULE AT 14KFT HEADING DUE EAST.

NEITHER FAST EAGLES 110 OR 100 COULD ACHIEVE RADAR LOCK OR ANY OTHER MEANS OF POSITIVE ID. FAST EAGLE 100 WAS FLYING HIGH COVER AND SAW THE ENGAGEMENT BY FAST EAGLE 110. FAST EAGLE 100 CONFIRMS 110 VISUAL ID; 100 LOST CONTACT IN HAZE AS WELL.

CPA OF ACFT 110 FROM CONTACT 4000-5000 FT.

here is a interview with the pilots from the 2004 incident.

typical pilot, "i don't know what it was but i want to fly it.." :)

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/unidentified-flying-object-navy.html

And some analysis: https://coi.tothestarsacademy.com/gimbal/

well the video, the eye witness account and the official report all line up :)

I'm going with ball lightning :)

Well, here's the official report:

Where did you get that report?

One of the pilots who was involved in this was David Fravor. If you ever watched PBS Carrier documentary he was the commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41).

A very no-nonsense guy...

Where did you get that report?

https://theaviationist.com/2017/12/17/u-s-department-of-defense-video-shows-unknown-object-intercepted-by-u-s-navy-super-hornet-and-we-have-no-idea-what-it-was/

By looking at the way it remained in a fixed place relative to the HUD/Sensor, I would have thought it was something lodged on the actual sensor.

By looking at the way it remain in a fixed place relative to the HUD/Sensor, I would have thought it was something lodged on the actual sensor.

It would certainly be a logical explanation, but it doesn't seem like this is what happened.

"It's the North Koreans I'm telling ya."

By looking at the way it remained in a fixed place relative to the HUD/Sensor, I would have thought it was something lodged on the actual sensor.

Perhaps it is centered because the sensor is... ermmm... tracking it? :)

I think it is pritty clear what it was...

But in all seriousness..

Perhaps it is centered because the sensor is... ermmm... tracking it? :)

But that dose not explain how both pilots in separate aircraft observed the same/slimier object, let alone the fact they where tracking "a whole fleet of them" on the radar display. It would seem that there is something physically there reflecting radar waves. Random guess ball lightning maybe?