Type: Video
Source: U.S. Navy / declassified footage
The FLIR1 video is declassified official U.S. Navy footage captured on November 14, 2004, during the USS Nimitz incident off the coast of San Diego. Recorded by Lieutenant Commander Chad Underwood using an ATFLIR targeting pod on an F/A-18 Super Hornet, the video shows an oblong, Tic Tac-shaped object with no visible propulsion or exhaust plume.
Key details include:
Official Recognition: It is one of three videos officially declassified and released by the U.S. Department of Defense in April 2020, which confirmed the objects as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP).
Observed Behavior: The object hovers, mirrors pilot movements, and then accelerates rapidly out of the frame at extreme speed, breaking the sensor lock.
Context: The sighting occurred after radar operators on the USS Princeton detected anomalous tracks; Commander David Fravor visually identified the object as a white, wingless craft approximately 40 feet long.
Security Concerns: Post-incident reports indicated that unknown individuals removed data recordings from the ships, raising national security concerns regarding potential advanced adversary technology