In April 2020, the Department of Defense officially released three previously leaked Navy infrared videos showing encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena. The 'FLIR1' video from the 2004 Nimitz encounter, and the 'Gimbal' and 'GoFast' videos from 2015 USS Theodore Roosevelt encounters, show objects performing extraordinary maneuvers. The Navy confirmed these were genuine unclassified recordings. Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough stated the videos were released 'to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real.' This marked the first time the US government officially acknowledged UAP footage as authentic.
“After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities and does not impinge on subsequent investigations.”
What they said vs. what the evidence shows
“These videos likely show birds, distant aircraft, or optical artifacts from infrared camera systems — not exotic technology.”
— Skeptics & debunkers · Jan 2018
SourceFrom “crazy” to confirmed
The Claim Is Made
This is the moment they called it crazy.
For years, Navy pilots reported encounters with objects performing impossible aerial maneuvers—accelerating without visible propulsion, stopping instantly, moving at hypersonic speeds without sonic booms. Their accounts were dismissed, ridiculed, or classified. Then in April 2020, the Pentagon did something unprecedented: it officially released three infrared videos confirming these encounters were real.
The claim had existed long before official acknowledgment. In 2004, pilots from the USS Nimitz carrier strike group encountered an object off the coast of San Diego that defied conventional explanation. Fourteen years later, in 2015, multiple Navy pilots aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt reported similar incidents. These weren't conspiracy theories whispered online—they were firsthand accounts from trained military observers using sophisticated sensor systems. Yet the incidents remained largely compartmentalized, known mainly to aviation specialists and researchers who followed such matters closely.
The official response, when acknowledgment came at all, was cautious to the point of dismissal. Military officials suggested sensor artifacts, misidentifications, or classified foreign technology. The videos themselves circulated only as leaks, their authenticity questioned by skeptics who assumed any unconfirmed footage was either fabricated or misinterpreted. The Pentagon neither confirmed nor denied them. To the general public, these remained unsubstantiated claims made by credible people about incredible things.
What changed in 2020 was straightforward but significant. The Department of Defense officially released the three videos—FLIR1 from the 2004 Nimitz encounter and Gimbal and GoFast from the 2015 Roosevelt incidents. Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough released a statement explaining the videos were being released "to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real." This was not speculation or conditional language. confirmed these were genuine, unclassified recordings captured by Navy infrared systems.
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r/UFOs — First-hand testimony from USS Peleliu FADIZ radar operator corroborates tracking of unidentified aerial phenomena with transmedium capabilities and impossible speeds, supporting the claim of documente
First-hand testimony from USS Peleliu FADIZ radar operator corroborates tracking of unidentified aerial phenomena with transmedium capabilities and impossible speeds, supporting the claim of documented military encounters with unexplained phenomena.
New high resolution scan of one of the best UFO photos in history - 1971 Lake Cote UFO. Link to download full res version below.
Auto-linked by pipeline. Confidence: 80%. Scraped from reddit (r/UFOs).
Confirmed: They Were Right
The truth comes out. Officially documented.
Confirmed: They Were Right
The truth comes out. Officially documented.
The videos themselves show objects exhibiting characteristics that remain unexplained. In FLIR1, an object appears to rotate while moving at significant speed. In GoFast, an object traverses the frame with remarkable velocity over a relatively short distance. In Gimbal, a spherical object surrounded by what appears to be an energy field executes a sharp turn. Navy pilots trained to identify conventional aircraft reported being unable to explain what they were observing.
The significance of this verification extends beyond the videos themselves. For decades, government denial or silence on UFO encounters had created a credibility gap. Citizens who took such reports seriously were labeled credulous. Researchers faced professional consequences for taking the subject seriously. The official release didn't explain the phenomena—it simply confirmed the phenomena existed and deserved examination.
What this means for public trust is complicated. On one hand, the Pentagon's acknowledgment vindicated those who had maintained these encounters were genuine. On the other, the minimal explanation provided raises new questions about what took so long and what else remains classified. The videos prove that credible witnesses observing anomalous phenomena through military sensors can be dismissed for years without consequence. They also prove that eventually, documentation and persistence can force acknowledgment. For those tracking claims that institutions initially denied, this case demonstrates how official verification sometimes follows, not precedes, public scrutiny.
Beat the odds
This had a 0.5% chance of leaking — someone talked anyway.
Conspirators
~500Large op
Secret kept
2.4 years
Time to 95% exposure
500+ years
