The Nimitz 'Tic Tac'
Radar operators on the cruiser USS Princeton had been tracking unusual targets for days. Commander David Fravor and Lt. Cmdr. Alex Dietrich were sent to look and saw a white, oblong object with no wings about 40 feet long hovering over a disturbance in the water. Fravor said it mirrored his descent and then vanished. Later that day another pilot recorded it on an infrared camera; that video is known as FLIR1.
The ledger
What the record shows, what people say, and the best explanation available so far.
What's documented
- The FLIR1 video was officially released by the Navy in 2020.
- Fravor and Dietrich have spoken on the record, and Fravor testified to Congress in 2023.
What's claimed
- A craft with performance far beyond any known aircraft.
Best explanation so far
The visual sighting is the strongest part, and no explanation fits well. The FLIR1 video alone is low detail, and some analysts argue it shows a distant aircraft.
Check the sources
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