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Pentagon Formally Releases 3 Navy Videos Showing 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena' (cbsnews.com) 142

Posted by BeauHD from the tin-foil-hat dept.
The Pentagon on Monday formally released three unclassified videos taken by Navy pilots that have circulated for years showing interactions with "unidentified aerial phenomena." CBS News reports: One of the videos shows an incident from 2004, and the other two were recorded in January 2015, according to Sue Gough, a Defense Department spokeswoman. The 2004 incident occurred about 100 miles out in the Pacific, according to The New York Times, which first reported on the video in 2017. Two fighter pilots on a routine training mission were dispatched to investigate unidentified aircraft that a Navy cruiser had been tracking for weeks. The Navy pilots found an oblong object about 40 feet long hovering about 50 feet above the water, and it began a rapid ascent as the pilots approached before quickly flying away. "It accelerated like nothing I've ever seen," one of the pilots told The Times. The pilots left the area to meet at a rendezvous point about 60 miles away. When they were still about 40 miles out, the ship radioed and said the object was at the rendezvous point, having traversed the distance "in less than a minute," the pilot told The Times.

The two other videos of incidents in 2015 include footage of objects moving rapidly through the air. In one, an object is seen racing through the sky and begins rotating in midair. Five Navy pilots who spotted the objects in 2015 told The Times in 2017 that they had a series of interactions with unidentified aircraft during training missions in 2014 and 2015 along the East Coast from Virginia to Florida. The episodes prompted the Navy to clarify how pilots should report experiences with "unidentified aerial phenomena," which had been studied under a Pentagon program from 2007 to 2012.
UPDATE (5/3/2020): Astronomer Phil Plait doesn't think the videos captured proof of alien spacecraft -- and explains what he thinks they're showing us instead.
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Pentagon Formally Releases 3 Navy Videos Showing 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena' More

Pentagon Formally Releases 3 Navy Videos Showing 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena'

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  • We got questions. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by AlanObject ( 3603453 ) on Monday April 27, 2020 @10:22PM (#59998912)

    The video linked in the summary doesn't mean much without some narration or at least annotation. Some questions:

    What type of equipment is making that video?

    What are the ranges and speeds depicted in it?

    The cruiser had been monitoring it for "weeks." What was the object doing all that time?

    Yes it does sit there and suddenly accelerate off screen. But I could get that effect with an LTA carrying a solid fuel rocket that was triggered by a proximity sensor or maybe a radar sensor.

    Fun questions, sort of. But by itself this is a bunch of nothing.

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      That's some real cognitive dissonance you have there. Do you believe that the US Navy didn't consider any of that before shrugging their shoulders?

      • Those are good questions coming out of an inquiring mind.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by DamnOregonian ( 963763 )
        And people actually modded this insightful. Fucking hell, we as a species really are going to hell.

        The US Navy coming to a determination of "unknown" does not mean one of those is not the answer.
        It means with the information they had, they could not conclusively answer the question.
        What he has isn't cognitive dissonance, they're legitimate questions.
        What you have if a weak mind.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

        Who knows what the US Navy considered. They haven't said anything at all. Since they didn't immediately go to DEFCON 1, and they apparently haven't diverted the production of the US to building orbital alien defence platforms, indications are they don't think it's super advanced foreign technology or aliens.

        • ....Since they didn't immediately go to DEFCON 1, and they apparently haven't diverted the production of the US to building orbital alien defence platforms....

          If these things are extra terrestrial and interstellar, then we're no more advanced than Pacific Islanders were about 300 years ago, and a modern nuclear submarine suddenly surfaces off of our island. We have no credible defense.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

            Sure. And any government that knew about them would absolutely put their military on full alert anyway.

            Also, anybody with that kind of technology wouldn't be flying around pranking the US Navy.

            • ...Also, anybody with that kind of technology wouldn't be flying around pranking the US Navy.

              Maybe they fly wherever they want to fly and the Navy happens to have the technology to spot them. A container ship, not so much.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

                Sure. You cross interstellar space, then spend a couple weeks pissing around in the middle of the ocean, near a carrier group, which is lit up like a field of Christmas trees on fire. Then, when a couple of fighter jocks, also lit up like burning Christmas trees, get close, you think oh shit, and burn out of there.

                Imagine a nuclear sub behaving like that around a bunch of islanders with bows and arrows.

                • It turns out that the ancient greeks got the idea of a cyclops from mammoth fossils; they thought the skull cavity for the trunk was a skull cavity for a giant eye. We didn't magically start seeing fossils for the first time 150 years ago, rather it was the first time that we actually understood them.

                  With that in mind, the pacific islander analogy doesn't work that well, they'd very well confuse it for a giant turtle or a magic floating rock. Not really any reason to go apeshit or start throwing sticks at i

    • Re:We got questions. (Score:4, Informative)

      by Skookum Quatch ( 6808472 ) on Monday April 27, 2020 @10:46PM (#59998958)
      Joe Rogan did a podcast with the pilot, #1361 - answers a lot of those questions

      • Re:We got questions. (Score:5, Informative)

        by DNS-and-BIND ( 461968 ) on Monday April 27, 2020 @10:59PM (#59998972) Homepage

        Joe Rogan Experience #1361 - Cmdr. David Fravor & Jeremy Corbell [youtube.com]. Commander David Fravor is a retired US Navy pilot, who has a close encounter in 2004 with the so-called Tic Tac UFO. He's not a nut (though the Corbell guy is) and he lays out what he saw with the clarity of an experience aviator. This is the video that made me believe that this shit is real. It just had the worst explainers in the world - the "UFO community" is a bunch of weirdos and flakes. If they would have had people like Fravor in since day 1 they would have done themselves a huge favor.

        Also worth watching is Rogan and Bob Lazar [youtube.com], a man who worked in the secret testing grounds in Nevada back in the 80s. Lazar is tortured, is clearly not a UFO weirdo, does not like publicity, and speaks because he has something important to say. It's one of Rogan's best shows even though it has the irritating Corbell guy again. Rogan cuts him off at the knees at one point, which is very satisfying.

        • The reason that you donâ(TM)t get many âoecredibleâ witnesses such as pilots or military members is the stigma of âoeseeingâ these things.

          You can find your career derailed pretty quickly for making these reports.

          In these particular cases, the videos leaked. The Navy didnâ(TM)t deny them, and the retired officers were willing to talk about them - perhaps, because the incidents were declassified. Now, the videos have been officially released lending credibility to the reports.

          • I had an interesting experience once, with several witnesses.
            We saw something, something light up, flying in waya that made no sense.

            I've had pilot training and my daughter likes to go out to the airport and watch the planes, so we are familiar with some phenomenon that can make planes appear to do impossible motions, such as standing still and then zoom off. When a light is flying toward you or away from you, it appears to be standing still. When the plane turns, it appears to suddenly zoom off from a hov

            • I forgot to state the point of the story. :)

              When we saw something really weird, nobody in the group said "space aliens". We said "I wonder what that is". The reason it's nuts who say "I saw space aliens" is because more rational people instead say "I wonder what that is. I'm not sure what I saw""

              • We are at a company picnic sitting at this large table with 20+ people. All of sudden something flew at enormous speed right over us completely silently. The time elapses from when it entered my field of view from my left to the time it had disappeared out of sight to my right must have been milliseconds. I was basically barely aware that something passed at about 200 feet high and 150 feet away. The only clear thing I saw was the tail end of it I could swear it looked exactly like what the tails of cruis
                • p.s. I turned around and asked the people next to me. Did you see that? They all did but none of us had any idea what it was. I'd say it was man made because of the resemblance to a cruise missile but have you ever heard of a silent missile? This was back in 2002.

                  • Sounds like a plane's shadow crossed over where you were eating and your eye noticed and your brain didn't know what to do with the information so it made up some shit that vaguely made cognitive sense to you.

                    Because that's what your brain does all of the time. Every second of every day. That's why optical illusions work, that's why a whole bunch of magic tricks work.

                    We say, "seeing is believing", but it's pretty much the exact opposite of that.

                  • Once the engine turns off they are pretty darn quiet. As are most planes that are descending. Ballistic missiles don't run their engines for most of the flight.

        • You find Robert Lazar credible and nit a weirdo?
          • Only if the govt's in on it; otherwise he'd be dead.
            • Maybe. I've seen him speak about his claimed experiences.

              Either he's a liar in which case the government would ignore him as another crackpot.

              Or if it's true... killing him would only further drive the conspiracy theory. "They killed Bob because it was all true!" is a lot more convincing than some dude claiming random shit with no government reply. Either way, I find him pretty kooky and not terribly convincing. I do love that stuff. I've seen the entire ancient aliens series and several others like it

        • This is the video that made me believe that this shit is real.

          The fact that has "the clarity of an experience [sic] aviator?"
          That's a very, very, VERY poor basis to pin your belief on.

          Also worth watching is Rogan and Bob Lazar [youtube.com], a man who worked in the secret testing grounds in Nevada back in the 80s. Lazar is tortured, is clearly not a UFO weirdo, does not like publicity, and speaks because he has something important to say. It's one of Rogan's best shows even though it has the irritating Corbell guy again. Rogan cuts him off at the knees at one point, which is very satisfying.

          I uhh, don't really know how to start with this.
          Bob Lazar is a textbook paranoid schizophrenic.

        • I'm not going to say that video you recommended with Rogan and Bob Lazar ISN'T worth viewing.... but Bob Lazar is a very questionable character in the world of UFO discussions and theories.

          Not only can nobody seem to substantiate any of his claims of working for the government in any capacity, but the guy purchased a Las Vegas brothel in 1985 and got arrested over it by 1990. That, in itself, says some things about his character that would be "red flags" for his ability to pass a background check like they

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by quenda ( 644621 )

        Joe Rogan did a podcast with the pilot, #1361 - answers a lot of those questions

        Oh, you mean a navy pilot :-( . I was expecting to see the UFO pilot (a little green man?).

    • Success in our work is imperative, Scully.

    • Pilots have been on Joe Rogan show. All your questions answered there.

  • But that sucker was moving 120 knots in one video.

    • When I tie my shoes in the morning, I only have to make two knots.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

      Yeah, there's something wrong with that as well. On the Beaufort scale hurricanes start at 64 knots. An F-18 can certainly fly against a 120 knot headwind, but taking off and landing would be a different matter.

  • Camera artifact (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Dan East ( 318230 ) on Monday April 27, 2020 @10:32PM (#59998936) Journal

    One of the videos is clearly some kind of camera artifact. The "object" rotates whenever the camera is panned or the plane capturing the video rolls. The object changing rotation as a direct result of the camera moving is pretty obvious.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Yeah those navy guys sure are dumdums chasing spots on their camera and forgot to use all their radar and stuff which they got. Oh wait, you're the fuckin dumdum.

      • Re:Camera artifact (Score:4, Informative)

        by LKM ( 227954 ) on Tuesday April 28, 2020 @12:55AM (#59999186)
        Navy guys aren't stupid, but they're not magical pixie fairies either. They're subject to the same kinds of cognitive errors as all other humans.

      • Yeah those navy guys sure are dumdums chasing spots on their camera

        There is a different skillset to flying a jet or piloting a cruiser than ... well anything else. That's the thing the smartest people in one field can appear to be complete morons in another. What is obvious to me here as some lowly electrical engineer may not be so obvious to someone with a double PhD in Biomedicine.

        And last time I went to the doctor the way the guy used a computer makes me wonder why I don't just diagnose myself because he's such a ... "dumdum".

    • I am not saying its aliens, but you do realise the planes camera is on a gimbal right ? Turning or banking would have no affect on the object orientation.

      • I'm not saying it's aliens, but you realize that wired apparatus impose a limit upon the rotational travel of a gimbal, right?

      • So, let me get this straight, you thought "on a gimbal" meant "immune to camera artifacts?"

        Is that right?

        • Nope , a lot of people have pointed to the rotation of object in relation to the aircraft/horizon, yes a gimbal has limits, but when it reaches limit of movement, there is an abrupt movement of the tracked object, but it should stay steady inside the range of movement

          • There are countless causes of camera artifacts, not just one cause. Come on, now, don't get silly.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

        Turning a camera on a gimbal can absolutely have effects on artifacts in the image. If you're saying that the plane changing orientation *shouldn't* have an effect on a *real* object, then you're correct. The OP was pointing out that it apparently does.

    • The rotation of the object also exactly corresponds with two jumps of the camera. Looks like an artifact to me.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hey! ( 33014 )

      I don't know about that, but one of the interesting things about the footage is that it's infrared, and the object (phenomenon) is absolutely flat black. There's no detail at all. It is surrounded by a slight halo. In some of the footage it is featureless white then suddenly switches to featureless black.

      It makes me wonder if we aren't looking at some kind of experiment in countermeasures. It's hard to explain why an alien spacecraft would be hot and then suddenly become cold. But an aircraft equipped

    • you raise a good point about camera artifacts. But you seem to have forgotten or just overlooked one small, but critical, point.

      The gun camera was not the only optical sensor on the plan looking at the object. There was a least one other visual senor looking at he object. The pilot's eyes. What most people don't know it that US Navy pilots have to have a minimum of 20/20 vision and no color blindness to qualify for the position.

      And then there are the other videos, even if the rotation is just an artifac

    • Oh let them have some fun. There is bound to be lots of pointless speculation about an unknown unknown on the basis of almost any random information. The shouting should be entertaining and lord knows we could do with some entertainment.

  • You want to learn more about physics? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by DNS-and-BIND ( 461968 ) on Monday April 27, 2020 @11:06PM (#59998978) Homepage

    The Navy's UFO Patent: More Realistic Than Previously Thought [youtube.com]. December 4th, 2018. The USPTO issues a mysterious patent to the Navy for a hybrid aerospace/undersea craft, capable of extreme speeds in water, air and space. It takes advantage of a quantum mechanics concept once thought impossible: manipulating microscopic fluctuations always present in the vacuum of empty space, quantum vacuum fluctuations and Casimir force. Many of the theories needed for it to work have already been proven experimentally...they've just been misunderstood by journalists who don't have a background in physics.

    Link to the patent itself, US10144532B2 [google.com]. A quote from the preamble:

    "There are four known fundamental forces which control matter and, therefore, control energy. The four known forces are strong nuclear forces, weak nuclear forces, electromagnetic force, and gravitational force. In this hierarchy of forces, the electromagnetic force is perfectly positioned to be able to manipulate the other three. A stationary electric charge gives rise to an electric (electrostatic) field, while a moving charge generates both an electric and a magnetic field (hence the electromagnetic field). Additionally, an accelerating charge induces electromagnetic radiation in the form of transverse waves, namely light. Mathematically, as well as physically, electromagnetic field intensity can be represented as the product of electric field strength and magnetic field strength. Electromagnetic fields act as carriers for both energy and momentum, thus interacting with physical entities at the most fundamental level.

    Artificially generated high energy electromagnetic fields, such as those generated with a high energy electromagnetic field generator (HEEMFG), interact strongly with the vacuum energy state. The vacuum energy state can be described as an aggregate/collective state, comprised of the superposition of all quantum fields fluctuations permeating the entire fabric of spacetime. High energy interaction with the vacuum energy state can give rise to emergent physical phenomena, such as force and matter fields unification. According to quantum field theory, this strong interaction between the fields is based on the mechanism of transfer of vibrational energy between the fields. The transfer of vibrational energy further induces local fluctuations in adjacent quantum fields which permeate spacetime (these fields may or may not be electromagnetic in nature). Matter, energy, and spacetime are all emergent constructs which arise out of the fundamental framework that is the vacuum energy state.

    Everything that surrounds us, ourselves included, can be described as macroscopic collections of fluctuations, vibrations, and oscillations in quantum mechanical fields. Matter is confined energy, bound within fields, frozen in a quantum of time. Therefore, under certain conditions (such as the coupling of hyper-frequency axial spin with hyper-frequency vibrations of electrically charged systems) the rules and special effects of quantum field behavior also apply to macroscopic physical entities (macroscopic quantum phenomena).

    Moreover, the coupling of hyper-frequency gyrational (axial rotation) and hyper-frequency vibrational electrodynamics is conducive to a possible physical breakthrough in the utilization of the macroscopic quantum fluctuations vacuum plasma field (quantum vacuum plasma) as an energy source (or sink), which is an induced physical phenomenon.

    The quantum vacuum plasma (QVP) is the electric glue of our plasma universe. The Casimir Effect, the Lamb Shift, and Spontaneous Emission, are specific confirmations of the existence of QVP.

    It is important to note that in region(s) where the electromagnetic fields are strongest, the more potent the interactions with the QVP, therefore, the higher the induced energy density of the QVP particles which spring into existence (the Dirac Sea of elec

    • That all may be gold or BS for all I know, but this I think is wise:

      *Matter, energy, and spacetime are all emergent constructs which arise out of the fundamental framework that is the vacuum energy state.*

      In many cases these and classical laws are statistically emergent, too, so bending these foundational concepts around could be a matter of stacking the deck and doing weird things at the nano scale. The weak link is our minds, are we ready to accept that space and time do not exist at fundamental levels an

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by mark_reh ( 2015546 )

      Consciousness consists of atomic ionization of quantum energy. “Quantum” means an evolving of the non-dual.
      Nothing is impossible. This life is nothing short of an evolving spark of life-affirming hope.
      Illusion is the antithesis of knowledge.
      Only a prophet of the quantum cycle may create this rebirth of inspiration. Where there is materialism, science cannot thrive. You may be ruled by pain without realizing it. Do not let it sabotage the truth of your myth.

      The goal of electromagnetic resonance i

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by DrLudicrous ( 607375 )
        Man, what in tarnation are you bloviating about? I smoked a lot of dope in my day, but for chrissakes, I got me a Pee Aitch Dee in Physics, in electromagnetic resonance of all things. You're talking hocus pocus crystal worshiping kumbaya hogwash. Lay of the bong for a day or two and see if your head clears come of the cobwebs.

      • And this is why marijuana shops must remain an essential service.

    • I'm giving up and switching to a new line of work.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by MrKaos ( 858439 )

      The Navy's UFO Patent: More Realistic Than Previously Thought [youtube.com]. December 4th, 2018. The USPTO issues a mysterious patent to the Navy for a hybrid aerospace/undersea craft, capable of extreme speeds in water, air and space. It takes advantage of a quantum mechanics concept once thought impossible: manipulating microscopic fluctuations always present in the vacuum of empty space, quantum vacuum fluctuations and Casimir force. Many of the theories needed for it to work have already been proven experimentally...they've just been misunderstood by journalists who don't have a background in physics.

      Link to the patent itself, US10144532B2 [google.com].

      Best post here and it's at 0. Thanks!

    • Yawn. [thedrive.com]

    • Re:You want to learn more about physics? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ceoyoyo ( 59147 ) on Tuesday April 28, 2020 @10:45AM (#60000362)

      If I were a pantent examiner I would have read up until "comprises of" and rejected the patent on that basis.

    • Salvatore Cezar Pais and his patents are fairly well known (or notorious).

      In addition to this device claimed to "reduce inertial mass" -- which would get him a Nobel in physics is this occurred at all, to any detectable degree -- Pais's previous patents include "High Frequency Gravitational Waves - Induced Propulsion" and a room temperature superconductor.

      Not one of these patents describes something that can be shown to actually exist.

      History's greatest genius? Or a crackpot? You be the judge.

      Just because a

  • If these videos were significant, there's no way they would be declassified and released to the public. They would have never leaked previously, either.

    • Re:Cool, but... (Score:4, Interesting)

      by rtb61 ( 674572 ) on Tuesday April 28, 2020 @12:44AM (#59999166) Homepage

      Perhaps they just realise it makes no real difference either way, as we socially evolve so our ability to interact with greater expressions of social life evolves. If we spend effort looking for them, it is logical that those who evolved before us would spend effort looking for us. It would be very unlikely they would be at our level or development, transitional between primitive and galactic species, occupying more than one world around more than one sun.

      Perhaps they are less fearful and accept being under close observation from the rest of the galaxy as a likely reality and that uniqueness in space and time, that transition, would be of value and preserved, allowed to play out as it will, with as little interference as possible to ensure it does continue because it might have been quite some time since the last occurrence in this galaxy. The galactic broadcasting network and the monkey version of https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]. You know you would want to watch another species going through their transition from primitive to modern, the trials and tribulations of the mud monkeys (earth primates), oh yeah everyone would and how much effort would they demand be used to protect it for future viewing ;D.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by LKM ( 227954 )
      Yeah... I was curious to see them after seeing some of the reaction online, but after watching them, I can see why they were declassified. They're a huge nothingburger. I'm not sure why they were classified to begin with. Maybe I should classify the video I shot at night that has an "orb" in it, too. Kind of disappointing.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

        You might, if your camera was demonstrating the target acquisition and tracking capabilities of an F-18.

    • Seems like a red herring to me... "Virus? We got ALIENS to worry about!"

  • two airplanes and a weather balloon (Score:5, Interesting)

    by LetterRip ( 30937 ) on Monday April 27, 2020 @11:20PM (#59999004)

    I hate to spoil a good conspiracy theory with facts, but the videos have been analysed using basic observation skills and mathematics - and these are likely two airplanes and a weather balloon.

    You can watch the analysis and explanations on these videos,

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by qeveren ( 318805 )
      I remember watching these. Great analyses of the videos.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by TheInternetGuy ( 2006682 )
      Got it, two swamp gas, and a weather balloon.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by LKM ( 227954 )
        Maybe if you'd actually look at the videos, you could provide a more intelligent criticism of the analysis?
        • The days of people coming to SD for something intelligent are long gone together with hot grits and whats her name.

        • Maybe if you'd actually look at the videos, you could provide a more intelligent criticism of the analysis?

          Your UID should be low enough that you can laugh at pop culture references.
          But you still get a *whooosh* from me.

      • This comment is either funny as hell, or really, really sad. I can't tell which.
        • That makes two of us. I miss the good old days when you could be sure a slashdot comments was sarcastic without needing any of those slash-esses that are all the rage these days.
          • Well, if it gives you any hope for internet-bound humanity, my first reaction was to laugh... Then I got scared you might be serious.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Hey wow those navy people sure are stupid to not be able to see that it's a plane.

  • Discussed on Metabunk (Score:4, Informative)

    by MDMurphy ( 208495 ) on Tuesday April 28, 2020 @12:23AM (#59999124)
    It looks like these "just released" videos are ones I saw discussed on metabunk.org a while back. https://www.metabunk.org/threa... [metabunk.org]

  • Arrghh! (Score:3)

    by AxisOfPleasure ( 5902864 ) on Tuesday April 28, 2020 @01:58AM (#59999288)

    Does anyone else think the anchorwoman on the CBS news report looks suspiciously like a "grey" squeezed into latex human suit? Large head, wide eyes, face tapering down to a very small jaw...hmmm....

  • Someone's getting their jollies. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Shag ( 3737 ) on Tuesday April 28, 2020 @02:23AM (#59999336) Journal

    I mean, if I had risen through the ranks of unmanned aerial system pilots at the US Air Force, and had finally gotten to remotely test-pilot an advanced propulsion/hypersonics demonstrator, the very first thing that would pop into my brain is "prank the Navy guys"

    • My own personal explanation is a variant of just this -- one of the best tests for a skunkworks demonstrator is an unplanned force-on-force test against your own rank and file military.

      Bonus points for doing it in a place where training is going on and where the Navy isn't cocked and locked to cut loose with live ammunition, just in case your demonstrator isn't as good as you thought, as well as making it easier to get the damn thing back if something goes wrong in avionics or control.

  • The real mystery is why they gave us a list of the items in their toolboxes (the last PDF).

  • Sigh. (Score:2)

    by ledow ( 319597 )

    Oh, look, they're blurry, indistinct, tiny, out of focus, never zoomed in on, etc. etc. etc. etc.

    It's almost like, when you get a GOOD shot of them, you can identify what they are, so they're no longer unidentified, isn't it?

    2020 and a state-of-the-art jet fighter can't get a decent image of a possible enemy aircraft that isn't four pixels of static white against a fast moving background.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Sloppy ( 14984 )

      2020 and a state-of-the-art jet fighter can't get a decent image of a possible enemy aircraft that isn't four pixels of static white against a fast moving background.

      We've seen things like that happen before, though. Remember back when we didn't know that cell tower signals repel bigfoot? There was also a time when we didn't know that chupacabra cells weirdly refract light, so that using something like a camera flash actually causes them to become temporarily invisible. This might be another instance, where

      • We've seen things like that happen before, though. Remember back when we didn't know that cell tower signals repel bigfoot? There was also a time when we didn't know that chupacabra cells weirdly refract light, so that using something like a camera flash actually causes them to become temporarily invisible. This might be another instance, where when fighter radar waves bounce off saucer stealth coating, there's an interference pattern that it to act like light at a different wavelength, which CCDs.

        *slow clap*

        Wait. Which CCDs what? Come on man, don't leave us hanging!

        Oh, and is there nothing cell towers can't do? Truly a marvel of the modern age.

  • US fighter jets have some of the most advanced EOIR systems in the world and *this* is the extent of the footage? Really?

    Moreover, these suites record across a number of spectra. Is the Navy releasing that data so experts can conduct spectrographic analyses? No? Then this is entirely worthless.

  • This is fascinating. This is A video, not the newly released one

    He discussing the released video and explains it and it's amazing.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
    .

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