In 2015, U.S. Navy pilots conducting training flights with the East Coast report encounters with unusual, high-speed objects moving over the water. Descriptions from the pilots reveal that these oval-shape objects appeare to rotate as they move, covering vast distances at incredible speeds.
Multiple pilots confirm sighting these objects, which they note were different from any known aircraft, they had no visible engines, exhaust, or defining propulsion systems.
According to Lt. Ryan Graves, a season F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot with over a decade of experience, these objects were not a one-time sighting but were observe repeatedly over a period of months.
The pilots observations, record on video, show the objects not only hovering above the ocean’s surface but also appearing at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet, travelling at speeds beyond the capabilities of conventional military aircraft.
The public was made aware of these sightings in 2019 which was four years after they took place, when The New York Times publish an article including the footage capture by the Navy.
This article mark the beginning of a shift in how the U.S. government and the military approach the topic of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), as they are now officially termed.
After that, in April 2020, the U.S. Navy officially verified the authenticity of these videos, sparking renew public and scientific interest in the nature and origin of these mysterious sightings.
Public curiosity around UFOs is not new.
In 1947, the Roswell Incident, where debris from an unidentified object was discover on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico—capture the nation’s imagination.
Initial reports suggest it was a “flying saucer,” though the Army quickly retract this, claiming the debris was from a weather balloon.
This incident began a national obsession with UFOs, and the lore around Roswell has only grown over the decades.
The Roswell Incident, combine with further sightings and theories around “Area 51,” left a lasting cultural impact on the public’s perception of UFOs and government secrecy.
As UAP sightings continue, the U.S. government initiate a more transparent approach to investigations.
In 2021, a report was release acknowledging the existence of many unexplained UAP incidents since 2004, while maintaining that there was no evidence to suggest these sightings were of extraterrestrial origin.
But, the U.S. government did highlight the need for investigation, given the potential implications for national security.
In response, the Pentagon establish the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in July 2022, task with coordinating and leading efforts to gather and analyse information on UAP.
As there is no conclusive evidence linking UAP to extraterrestrial life, the objective remains to uncover the origins of these sightings, including the possibility of advance foreign technology.
The rising interest in UAP has encourage scientists to step forward in challenging long-standing stigma.
NASA form a scientific panel in 2022 dedicate to exploring UAP with an evidence-based approach.
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has also made waves in the scientific community by establishing the Galileo Project, which applies observational and analytical technology to gather objective data on UAP.
