The Hill UFO “sightings” are the stuff of tin-foil hat conspiracy theorists. That is, until one hears the extraordinary account of retired U.S. Navy Commander David Fravor and his colleagues. Fravor, a career fighter pilot, former squadron commander and level-headed skipper in an acclaimed PBS documentary, makes a particularly compelling witness to an as-yet unexplained incident that occurred off the coast of Southern California in 2004.
As CDR Fravor recalls, he, his weapon systems officer and another two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet were flying a routine training mission on a calm, clear November day. But their exercise is suddenly canceled and their two-ship formation instructed to divert on a “real-world vector.” Unknown to Fravor and his fellow officers, a nearby ship, the USS Princeton, has spent weeks tracking numerous radar contacts moving in ways that defy explanation.
For the first time, fast-moving fighter aircraft are aloft when the Princeton’s hyper-sensitive radar array picks up the peculiar contacts. CDR Fravor’s Super Hornet and the jet accompanying them are tasked with taking a closer look.
What happens next is best described only by CDR Fravor and one of the weapon systems officers flying that day. In short, Fravor was “weirded out” by an object – with no visible propulsion system or wings – that accelerated, decelerated and, ultimately, disappeared from view at extreme speed, “like nothing [he had] ever seen.”
In Fravor’s account, the USS Princeton’s radar reacquired the object 30 seconds later – 60 miles away. If accurate, this implies a velocity roughly six times that of the top speed of Fravor’s super-fast Super Hornet.
Later that day, thanks to a combination of luck and targeting skill, a follow-up flight managed to capture the object on video.
Without a doubt, the 2004 incident is unique. No fewer than seven naval aviators as well as surface warfare officers – hardly conspiratorially-minded nut jobs – reported first-hand accounts of this event. Perhaps most importantly, they are corroborated by radar, infrared and optical data.
A series of similar events occurred 11 years later. Naval aircrews operating off the U.S. East Coast reported contacts with objects conducting extreme maneuvers that defied any known (or remotely conceivable) technological capabilities. Like the 2004 incident, their accounts are reinforced by sophisticated multi-source sensor data.
The Pentagon has confirmed that videos of the 2004 and 2014-2015 incidents are genuine, ultimately drawing scrutiny from Congress.
As with any UFO “sightings,” an enormous dose of skepticism is warranted. The classic Carl Sagan dictum that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” undoubtedly rings true. Of note, there is no evidence that little green men piloted the objects that CDR Fravor and his fellow pilots reported seeing over the ocean.
Question: Let’s say we do have recovered alien crafts and possible aliens themselves? Say, we are actually in negotiations with aliens to acquire additional alien tech and assistance to back engineer it…
In that case, wouldn’t our government be super vigilant to protect that secret so other countries would not know what we have? We could have absolute military dominance. Also, we would be trying very hard to learn what the other countries have. You talk about the ultimate spy game!
GHWB, Slick Willy, W, Hitlery and Barry were all selling what we had to our enemies all along. Unless it was also hid from everyone in the past administrations, all that our enemies could steal could have actually have such advanced technology already.