Type: Sensor Data
Source: USS Princeton radar systems
The 2004 USS Nimitz Encounter involved anomalous radar tracks detected by the USS Princeton (CG-59), an Aegis-equipped cruiser operating with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group approximately 100 miles southwest of San Diego. Beginning around November 10, 2004, radar operators, including Senior Chief Kevin Day, observed multiple contacts designated as Anomalous Aerial Vehicles (AAVs) that exhibited physics-defying behavior.
Key characteristics of the radar tracks included:
Extreme Altitude Transitions: Objects dropped from roughly 80,000 feet to near sea level in seconds, a maneuver incompatible with known aircraft performance.
High Velocity and Acceleration: Contacts moved at speeds and accelerations that would cause structural disintegration of conventional craft due to G-forces.
Lack of Identification: The objects displayed no IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) transponder codes, no squawk signals, and radar cross-sections that did not match any known biological or mechanical targets.
Persistent and Grouped: Tracks appeared in groups of five to ten, hovering or cruising at low speeds before shooting back up or disappearing from scope.
On November 14, 2004, these radar contacts led to the intercept by F/A-18F Super Hornets, where pilots Commander David Fravor and Lieutenant Commander Jim Slaight visually confirmed a white, wingless, "Tic Tac"-shaped object that accelerated away at speeds exceeding Mach 10 in seconds. The incident remains one of the most documented UAP cases, with the U.S. Department of Defense later releasing infrared footage (FLIR1) that corroborated the radar data.