From The NY Times: The Pentagon's Secret UFO Program

[Constance]

I don't know whether the Washington Post's article regarding what Luis Elizondo and others have brought forward has been linked here yet. It's well worth reading:

Head of Pentagon’s secret ‘UFO’ office sought to make evidence public

 

[Realm]

Guys and gals, I really don't know all that much related to the document in question since my experience was in a previous century.

That is still a whole lotta more than my none .

I just thought a few comments might help keep you guys from too many wild goose chases on this stuff.

And they do, so all input is welcome.

There may be a book like the one linked that would supply the names for the abbreviations. Maybe...

Thanks for the pointers. In my opinion the important part to understand is the first page of this log:
Navy event document 2004 Nov 14.pdf

I think I now have a basic understanding of most of that, except for the following that could be quite important, and I hope somebody has a better idea about these terms:

"PERFORMED ADEX IN MULLET" = Mullet seems to be the place where that exercise happened, but is that Mullet Island as I was guessing before or something else?

"FAST EAGLE VID 2X GROUPS:
1X SIM F8, WINGS CLEAN
1X SIM F8, WINGS CLEAN. RTB" = I think it means FAST EAGLE visually identified 2 groups and they didn't have visible weaponry under wings. But what does that 1X SIM F8 mean? And is that RTB=Return To Base and does that refer to all the planes that were part of that exercise, to that FAST EAGLE, or to that SIM F8 row?

"3A1,3C1,3D1" etc. = What are these? In most cases the first number matches the event number, except for one 2E2 on event 3.

And from the article:
https://fightersweep.com/1460/x-files-edition/

"The next four crews from VFA-41 were getting dressed for their training mission to the same area, using the same assigned Lat/Longs as CAP points"

What is an (assigned) CAP point/location and how are those used?

 

[jhh]

What is an (assigned) CAP point/location and how are those used?[/QUOTE]

CAP, Combat Air Patrol.

Not certain what point/location actually means.

I do know that when trump is in NJ golfing, the CAP will begin as dawn approaches. It starts with a tanker coming into the area.

The tanker sets up in a 'racetrack' pattern. It generally, follows this same path throughout its duration. Generally about 5-6 hours if I remember correctly until the tanker is depleted. The track in the NJ case has a western endpoint near the golf course and extends eastward out over Long Island into the LI sound. Altitude for refueling is FL 240. 24,000 ft. The complete circuit requires about 15-20 min. and the speed (ground speed) is somewhere in the area of 350 mph, again memory ?

Shortly after the arrival of the tanker, two fighter aircraft arrive into the area. I'm not exactly certain what their 'pattern' is as I am not able to 'see' them on my computer. They generally fly at FL220. Their mission is directed by 'Huntress' which I believe ? in NJ utilizes ground radars to direct the fighters to targets that have violated the 'NOTAM' ( notice to air airmen). ie RESTRICTED AIRSPACE. I forget the distance, but all small airports within an ~ 20-30 mile radius of the pres. location are CLOSED for the duration. Day and night.

There may be an AWACS involved ? I have not seen them and have not heard them. With radars in the greater NY area, an AWACS may not be needed.

The target coordinates that are called out to the fighters by Huntress have no meaning to me. They seem to be incorporated into the system that the fighters/Huntress utilize for target tracking.

When a target is given to the fighter (single) he/she will approach the aircraft and ID it and attempt to make contact via radio. Once communication is established, the target aircraft is instructed to land at the nearest airport capable of accepting the aircraft.

Once the target craft has landed, they are instructed to stay with their aircraft and are met with I assume, some local police agency followed by, I again assume, some federal representative.

The fighter pilot will escort/follow the target to verify landing and sometimes provides description of clothing, color etc.

The fighter then returns to his/her (point location ?)

Regarding call signs, when the CAP begins, they normally start with 01/02. Example Echo 01 and Echo 02. When shift change occurs, the incoming two fighters will refuel at the tanker, one at a time, prior to taking their position for the CAP. These new fighters assume the call sign of the original two fighters, +10. The new call signs would be Echo 11 and Echo 12. That is if the fighters are from the same Air Wing (?)

A similar numbering scene plays out for the tanker switch.

When the switch happens, the new fighters enter the track at FL210 or FL230, 1,000 feet above/below the active fighters until the initial fighters exit the pattern and then assume a FL of 220.

A similar thing happens with the tanker switch. The new tanker enters at FL250 until the initial tanker leaves the pattern and then descends to FL240.

The initial fighters then refuel an amount needed to RTB (return to base) plus I assume some reserve.

Much time is spent calculating 'pounds' of fuel for both tanker and fighters. I did some recording of the tanker offloads and times. They were burning 8,500 to 9,500 GALLONS per HOUR.

That's just the two fighters. Multiply that by 12-15 hours per day X some number of days ! I think there was a period in the past 14 months that DT was in NJ for a week or more ?

 

[mike]

Some excellent sleuthing going on here, Good stuff.

 

[Realm]

CAP, Combat Air Patrol.

Not certain what point/location actually means.

I found that explanation earlier, here: Combat air patrol - Wikipedia

But it was also that point/location that didn't seem to make sense combined with that. To me something like "Circling Around Point" would have made more sense, especially since the article states:

“You’re not going to believe this, it’s at your CAP.” Princeton had picked up the AAV hovering at 24K at the assigned Lat/Long Dave had used earlier during training as his orbiting point.

But now I found it can be also used like this: "fighters, scrambled on Combat Air Patrol - C.A.P. They would circle over a point northwest of Comox, waiting further orders"
Kye Bay

So it seems to be some selected point that the plane can circle for guarding it or for example waiting for the exercise to begin.

I was interested about that because of this somewhat surprising detail:

“You’re not going to believe this, it’s at your CAP.” Princeton had picked up the AAV hovering at 24K at the assigned Lat/Long Dave had used earlier during training as his orbiting point.
...
The next four crews from VFA-41 were getting dressed for their training mission to the same area, using the same assigned Lat/Longs as CAP points.
...
The planes separated, with one heading to that same southern CAP location.
...
The WSO first picked up a contact on the radar around 30nm away while it was operating in the RWS scan mode. He checked the coordinates and it was indeed hovering at their precise CAP point.
...
The target aspect on the track file was turning through 360 degrees along with some other distinct jamming indications. In the less precise scan mode, the return indicated that the object was, in the WSO’s words, “A few thousand feet below us. Around 15-20K– but hovering stationary.” The only movement was generated by the closure of the fighter to the CAP location.

Why would it go to exactly that location? Did the UFO become interested about it because the planes kept circling there, just like the planes got interested about the favorite spot of the UFO? Or had they seen earlier on the radar that there's some action there and picked that as a CAP location to maximize chances of somebody seeing something there? Was that CAP actually the same spot where the targets were said to have always been, since the article states they swung through the CAP and saw that the turbulence in water had disappeared:

The targets, dubbed Anomalous Aerial Vehicles (AAVs), would drop from above 80K to hover roughly 50 feet off the water in a matter of seconds.
Always over the same spot, a Lat/Long about 30NM off the coast of Baja, roughly 70nm southwest of Tijuana.
...
Though low on gas, the FASTEAGLE flight swung through the CAP position to try and pick up the AAV again. They saw nothing more on their way back to Nimitz. Even the 100 meter circle of turbulent ocean water had disappeared. That spot was now indistinguishable from the rest of the sea’s surface.

At least those spots didn't seem to be far from each other.

 

[Realm]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but Michio Kaku has stated the following on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/x/status/945368489975566336

He got that chasing part wrong but otherwise it's nice to see statements like that where this case is taken seriously. I saw that in a new article here:
Top space boffin says UFO which chased US jets may be ‘HYPERSONIC drone’ – or ALIENS

They are speculating on the possibilities of Russian or Chinese technology:

Both Russia and China are developing hypersonic aircraft – which are capable of flying more than five times the speed of sound.

China has been sending drones to the edge of space last year and has been experimenting with hypersonic technology.

Ballistic missiles called “hypersonic glide vehicles”, or HGVs, which are capable of striking anywhere in the US in less than an hour are being developed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

They can deliver nuclear payloads a ultra high speeds within a matter of minutes, leaving defence systems helpless.

Russia has claimed its 16,000mph hypersonic nuke missiles could be ready for operation in two years.

In response, it has claimed the US is developing hypersonic weapons which travel at five times the speed of sound and destroy targets with a “kinetic energy” warhead.

To me those would seem like valid explanations IF somebody had seen something going very fast in a more or less straight line and possibly exploded/crashed to the sea or so. But it's a bit different matter to combine those with the ability to hover, make sudden turns and accelerations etc.

 

[mike]

A few moments later Princeton came back with, “You’re not going to believe this, it’s at your CAP.” Princeton had picked up the AAV hovering at 24K at the assigned Lat/Long Dave had used earlier during training as his orbiting point.


Cap point is the center point of FAOR (fighter area of responsibility). Hot leg starts with turn and ends in the cap point and it is flown to the direction of threat. Each leg is 20NM long. Speed is 0.8 M. CAP level should be as high as possible so that more range for the active weapons and fuel economy ...

Cap and Coordination2 | Fighter Aircraft | Military Technology

 

[mike]

To me those would seem like valid explanations IF somebody had seen something going very fast in a more or less straight line and possibly exploded/crashed to the sea or so. But it's a bit different matter to combine those with the ability to hover, make sudden turns and accelerations etc.

Yes they have been described as coming to a complete stop in an instant. I cant think of any terrestrial technology that can do that.

I went to flight school in Pensacola with CDR Fravor's WSO on this flight. (I won't say his name on here.) Heard this story through the Hawkeye grapevine not long after it happened. We were down the hall from VAW-117. I would have thought it was BS if I didn't know the WSO that told the story. Most level headed guy you'll ever know. Smart as hell. He described it as a giant, flying Tylenol that could stop on a dime from super sonic speeds.

I'm confident its this very aspect that convinces the pilots they were not dealing with any known technology. To go from a super sonic speed to a dead stop means you have to violate the laws of momentum and inertia as we understand them now.

 

[Han]

They are speculating on the possibilities of Russian or Chinese technology:

Don't know what ET's budget is like? if they even have one

But I think the US has stuff we can only imagine.

 

[mike]

As he watched it, the AAV moved out of his screen to the left so suddenly it almost seemed to disappear. On the tape, when it is slowed down, the object accelerates out of the field of view with shocking speed.

And then can "stop on a dime".

Any nation on earth that could do that........................would be in charge of the entire planet.

You could run rings around any of the known aircraft and even missiles.

 

[Realm]

This is the part that still doesn't make any sense to me:

FAST EAGLES, DEVILS AND HOBOS PERFORMED ADEX IN MULLET AFTER VECTOR FROM PRINCETON
TOWARD UNID CONTACT. EACH PERFORMED 1X RUN. FAST EAGLE VID 2X GROUPS:
1X SIM F8, WINGS CLEAN
1X SIM F8, WINGS CLEAN. RTB

They were supposedly low on fuel already when they went to check out the ufo, which was 40 nautical miles away from Nimitz. Both the FS article and TTSA report state that they returned to Nimitz after that. There's also no indication that the other planes of that initial exercise group would have continued, just that the FAST EAGLEs were ordered there. Also according to the log they located the disturbance of water at 1430 and according to the FS article the next crew launched at about 1500 after Dave and others had already returned, passed on information and so on, so there doesn't even seem to be too much time between those events.

So how come the log states they just performed air defense exercises with low fuel, after they just encountered something really weird and when there doesn't seem to be even time for those?

And it definitely makes even less sense if that MULLET actually refers to Mullet Island as I tried to guess, as that would mean they would first travel some 40 miles towards Nimitz and continue past that at least 180 miles and back...

It seems to me that either that part of the log needs to be somehow inaccurate/misplaced or alternatively both the FS article and TTSA report are inaccurate in stating the planes returned more or less immediately due to low fuel. And remember that one of those is based on the account of Fravor and the other one on Slaight. So both of them would have to have forgotten that exercise on their way back.

I guess one way to explain that would be that they still had one exercise left when they were re-vectored (articles stated they were "wrapping up" and their "combat routines were interrupted" during "mission reset") and DEVILS and HOBOS went on with that while FAST EAGLES were having a date with ET. The log just lists them all in that adex description, even if one didn't participate, but then again, it also seems to use plurals even for single planes.

That would still leave the question of what were those "SIM F8" groups that FAST EAGLE identified and where and when did that happen? Is that event tied to the adex, or somehow separate?

 

[mike]

It would seem to be that location.

These are UK abbreviations it may be a variant on one of these.

MU
Maintenance Unit
MU
Movement Unit
MUA
Military User Agent
MUAV
Maritime Unmanned Air Vehicle
MUD Vessel
Make Up and Discharge Vessel
MUDAS
Modular Universal Data Acquisition System
MuFAR
Multi-target Field Artillery Radar
MUFS
Maximum Useable Frequency
MUFTI
Minimum Use of Force Tactical Intervention
MUID
Messaging user ID
MULE
Modular Universal Laser Equipment
Multi-agent CGF
Multi Agent Computer Generated Forces
MULTIFAB
Type of waterproof suit for working in cold & wet conditions
MULTOTS
Multiple Unit Link-11 Test and Operational Training System
MULTS
Mobile Universal Link 11 Translator System
MUMS
Modular Underwater Measurement System
MURF
Manpower Utilisation & Recording Form
MURS
Manpower Utilisation Recording System
MUSL
Marconi Underwater Systems Limited
MUTES
Multiple Threat Emitter System
MUU
Main User Unit
MUX
Multiplex System

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...e/227048/acronyms_and_abbreviations_dec08.pdf

 

[Han]

And who's log is it anyway?

(Sorry if I have missed the obvious)

I mean it is a summary, but for, and by whom?

It seems incomplete and a bit vague, leaving us to fill in gaps, which makes me a little suspicious.

Also why is it written in CAPS and use abbreviations yet still writes/uses "AND" instead of "&" or "+" ?

Anyway I just read this bit:

"CPA OF ACFT 110 FROM CONTACT 4000-5000 FT."

Which I think says CPA* OF AirCraFT 110 (FAST EAGLE 110) FROM CONTACT 4000-5000 FEET.

*Possibly CPA has something to do with distance? i.e between Fast Eagle 110 and UFO?

So in other words

FAST EAGLE WAS 4000-5000 FEET FROM CONTACT.

 

[Realm]

Speaking of abbreviations, among the many possibilities, SIM can be short for "Security Incident Management":
SIM - Military and Government

So could that actually mean that FASTEAGLE visually identified two groups (even though they were actually unidentified), that is 1x the UFO and 1x potential USO, and both were "Wings clean" in the sense of no weapons were seen (neither wings for that matter)? Maybe F8 would then be a code for certain type of security incident or something.

So that FASTEAGLE part would be unrelated to the exercise others did while they were having all the ET fun.

 

[Realm]

And who's log is it anyway?

That seems to be the main log that documents the progress of the exercises. There's a poster in ATS who seems to know about such things:

So, I'd say at the least that it is based on a real air wing summary, such things by themselves not being classified in any way.

Fighter Jet UFO Footage: The Real Deal, page 10

Maybe we should try to ask that poster to clarify the unclear bits.

*Possibly CPA has something to do with distance?

Closest Point of Approach, so that would be closest distance to the UFO. But I think Fravor himself has estimated having been closer to it in recent interviews.

 

[Realm]

I just realized that theory of mine would also explain this one odd detail that I didn't understand:

Upon hearing the female controller's command, OK-2 realized the re-vectoring was in the opposite direction of the U.S.S. Nimitz.

That CAP location and UFO was south from Nimitz. Before that "their assigned work area in the open ocean south of USS Nimitz". OPAREA MISR-1E that is mentioned in the log several times is to the south. Pretty much everything seems to be to the south. So opposite to what? What's in north? Well, that inland bombing area and Salton Sea with Mullet Island are, considering they need to fly first towards northeast and then a bit more towards east as they most likely cannot fly directly over Mexico.

So maybe that MULLET really means Mullet Island, and they were all supposed to have an exercise there northeast but against expectations those FAST EAGLEs were ordered to the more or less opposite direction of south, while DEVILS and HOBOS went on with the planned exercise there. Then the log just lists all those squadrons as if they all had that exercise, and combines that information with security incidents FAST EAGLEs detected while the exercise was going on. That would also explain that "RTB"=Return To Base, which is not mentioned within other exercises when the planes returned as planned. Maybe that signals that the FAST EAGLEs made an unplanned return because of that security incident, and actually were an exception to what was otherwise said in performing the exercises.

Edit: Mullet island is between naval reservations and close to that Chocolate Mountain where bombing exercises seemed to have been anyway. So it certainly makes sense if they had other exercises within the area and named a way point like that.

We need to find someone from the navy who could confirm if F8 is code for aliens .

 

[Realm]

I think I cracked those strange 3A1,3C1 etc. codes in the log as well. Here's a list of all the events so that the codes are paired with the listed aircraft. Note that for the most part the first number matches the event number and the letter in the middle matches in alphabetic order to the first number of squadron, except for 6 which is split to two ranges 600-609 (E-2C Hawkeyes) and 610- (helicopters). Don't know why the last digit is sometimes 1 and sometimes 2, but that is hardly significant:

EVENT 3
-------
ADEX:
3A1 110/100
3C1 303/305
3D2 401

BMB:
3A2 105/106
3B1 204/200

SSC:
2E2 503

LOG/PG:
2H1 616

EVENT 4
-------
ADEX:
4A1 111
4B1 212,201
4D1 413

BMB:
4C1 310,311

EVENT 5
-------
CSAR:
5A1 106
5B1 206
5E1 501
5F1 BANGER
5H2 613
(BANGER is mentioned without a number, should be 600-609, see: Modex - Wikipedia)

AIC:
5A2 102,100
5C1 303,305
5D1 410,401

EVENT 6
-------
RTNK:
6A1 105
6B1 211

AIC:
6B2 201
6C2 307,310

GANGPLANK:
6C1 311

NVG:
6D1 402,403

Now I at least have some sort of theory to pretty much all that seems significant in that log.

 

[Realm]

And if somebody still doubts the credentials of David Fravor, here's his bio from the PBS Carrier miniseries:

David Fravor

Rank: CDR
Air Wing: VMFA-232

David Fravor has served for 22 years in the Navy and two in the Marines. He has participated in five deployments. During the deployment featured in CARRIER, he was commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41), also known as “The Black Aces.” Currently, he works in California for Fidelity Technologies as a simulator instructor, teaching new pilots how to fly the F/A-18. He is a native of Ohio.

CARRIER . The Crew | PBS

And here's some local news about him and why he spoke up now:

WINDHAM — His friends have heard the story a couple of times: As a seasoned Navy pilot 15 years ago, Cmdr. David Fravor says he saw and interacted with a UFO during a cloudless day of training off the California coastline.

It wasn't a secret, Fravor said. It just wasn't something he brought up often in an effort to avoid blank stares and judgments.

But when the Pentagon recently acknowledged controversial federal spending on UFO research, Fravor was encouraged to speak up by colleagues who, like him, believe in the importance of such studies.
...
"My friends told me, 'You're that person who can go and say, 'Yes, I had this incident and we should be looking into it,''" Fravor explained. "I had no idea it would become what it has. It's been hectic."

Following his first interview about his extraterrestrial encounter with a national newspaper last week, 53-year-old Fravor, a Windham resident for the last year, said Wednesday that mostly amiable reactions have found their way to him.

"There were 50 different news broadcasts that picked up the story," he said. "I was even getting calls from The Daily Mail (in England). Before this, only my friends had known about it. It usually comes up when someone asks, 'What's the weirdest thing you've seen while flying?'"

He has repeatedly recalled the way he felt that day and what the conditions were like.

"I wasn't drunk; I don't do drugs. I got a good night's rest. It was a clear day," Fravor told The Washington Post.

At the time, Fravor had 16 years of continuous flying experience.

"I was pretty experienced from Navy standards," he said.

By his account, Fravor was piloting the VFA-41 Black Aces, a strike fighter squadron of F/A-18 Hornet fighter planes, about 100 miles off the coast of San Diego on Dec. 14, 2004, when he and four others saw a 40-foot, Tic Tac-shaped flying object hanging close to the water.

"It started to mirror us," Fravor said. "It was probably three to five minutes of that before it just disappeared in a flash. It was like nothing I've ever seen."

Fravor has discussed the encounter in detail with To The Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences
...
"Tom (DeLonge) honestly deserves a lot of credit because he's someone who got the government to admit that these things exist," Fravor said. "He's been fascinated with them for a long time. The entire team is completely dedicated to this. They're trying to put real science behind this instead of people laughing and thinking you're nuts. There's something to be learned here."

Fravor believes delving into the happenings of that day in 2004 could help advance narrow views of the universe.

"There's been thousands of sightings over history, but what's unique about ours is that most people see them and go, 'Oh, what's that?' They point in the sky and that's it," he said. "But I interacted with it. I tried to get as close as I could in an airplane. I'm not sure if I was in the right place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time."

Former Navy pilot recounts close encounter 

Based on all that I have seen so far and all the digging and deciphering I have done: This case really looks as legit as it gets.

 

[mike]

This case really looks as legit as it gets.

Its certainly got a lot going for it.

To be honest i knew blink 182 was a band, but i couldn't have named a single member or for that matter one of their songs.
So i was dubious when the DeLonge thing made news, having said that hes not the first pop star to have an interest.

11 pop stars who claim to have seen UFOs - BBC Music

But this case is a classic, Radar traces, multiple witness's. Trained observers who get drug tested and eyes tested. Gun cam footage, FLIR footage.
Classic UFO maneuvering, High speeds, fast turns, stops on a dime. No wings or visible propulsion systems.

I think history will record this one as one of the most compelling cases.

 

[Realm]

Further confirmation that TTSA report "Source"=Jim Slaight:

The "Source" of this report is a highly decorated and recognized expert in aviation and Navy combat flight operations with Top Secret clearance.
...
Source is an O-4, Active Duty Officer with the U.S. Navy and has maintained a Top Secret security clearance for the duration of their career.
...
In early July 2004, Source received their first military assignment as as pilot for the U.S. Navy's F-18 Super Hornet.

2004 USS NIMITZ PILOT WRITTEN REPORT

O-4 matches Lieutenant commander (LCDR), which is how he has been introduced in the interviews and news reports.

Jim Slaight's Linkedin page indicates he worked mostly on the managerial side but was also for example "2002 Flight Instructor of the Year for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet". He started working for the VFA-41 squadron on July 2004, which matches exactly to that first assignment as a pilot in the TTSA report:

Operations Director & Safety Director

Company Name U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41)
Dates Employed Jul 2004 – May 2007
Employment Duration 2 yrs 11 mos
Location Lemoore, CA


• Directed the operational conduct of a strike-fighter squadron with over $950M in capital assets, 250 personnel and an annual operating budget exceeding $20M. Generated over 2,300 accident-free sorties for 3,515 flight hours.
• Led a department of 10 officers presiding over operations, resource management, personnel training, and meeting combat readiness levels culminating in successful combat deployments & operations.
• Reorganized all facets of squadron safety program, including occupational safety & health and operational risk management which resulted in a 50% reduction in safety incidents. Recognized as the #1 of 18 safety programs on the Naval Air Station during annual inspection by the Naval Safety Center.
• Managed a $3M travel budget with zero discrepancies.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcslaight/