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The Navy UFO Videos: FLIR, Gimbal and GoFast

Three cockpit videos of unidentified objects leaked from the US Navy. In 2020 the Pentagon released them officially. Here is what they show, and what they do not.

Aliens and UFOsOff the US Pacific and Atlantic coasts2004 and 2015

A frame from the Gimbal video, recorded by a US Navy jet's infrared camera in January 2015.
A frame from the Gimbal video, recorded by a US Navy jet's infrared camera in January 2015. United States Navy, Public domain

US Navy fighter jets carry infrared cameras that lock onto targets. Three clips from those cameras, one from November 2004 and two from January 2015, leaked to the public in 2007 and 2017 and became the most famous UFO videos in the world.

They are known by their file names. FLIR shows a small object recorded in 2004. Gimbal shows a dark shape that appears to rotate. GoFast appears to show an object racing low over the ocean.

On 27 April 2020 the US Department of Defense released all three officially, to clear up doubts about whether the footage was real. It said the phenomena in the videos remain "unidentified".

Unidentified does not mean alien. It means the people involved could not say what the objects were from the data they had.

Exhibit A: the footage

FLIR, November 2004. Infrared camera footage from a Navy jet. Released officially by the Department of Defense on 27 April 2020. United States Navy, Public domain
Gimbal, January 2015. The object appears to rotate. Released officially by the Department of Defense on 27 April 2020. United States Navy, Public domain
GoFast, January 2015. The object seems to race over the sea. NASA's 2023 analysis of the on-screen numbers puts it at about 13,000 feet, moving at about 40 mph. United States Navy, Public domain

Evidence

  • The Department of Defense confirmed the three videos are genuine Navy footage and released them on 27 April 2020.
  • The official statement says the phenomena in the videos "remain characterized as unidentified".
  • In 2023 NASA's independent UAP study team worked out GoFast from the numbers on the screen: the object was about 13,000 feet up, not skimming the sea, and moving at about 40 mph, a typical wind speed at that height.
  • NASA's team found the impression of great speed in GoFast comes at least partly from the jet's own speed and the parallax effect.

Verdict

UNEXPLAINED

The event is real and documented; its cause is unknown.

The videos are real and officially unidentified. There is no evidence the objects are alien craft, and GoFast at least has a likely ordinary explanation.

Theories vs evidence

  • Alien spacecraft

    UNPROVEN

    Nothing in the videos or the official statements shows technology beyond human capability.

  • GoFast is an object racing over the sea at extreme speed

    RULED OUT

    NASA's analysis puts it at about 13,000 feet and 40 mph; the speed is an effect of the jet's motion.

  • GoFast was something drifting with the wind

    SUPPORTED

    Its speed matches the wind at that altitude, and it showed no heat from an engine.

Sources

Image credits

  • Gimbal The First Official UAP Footage from the USG for Public Release.webm. United States Navy, Public domain
  • FLIR1 Official UAP Footage from the USG for Public Release.webm. United States Navy, Public domain
  • Gimbal The First Official UAP Footage from the USG for Public Release.webm. United States Navy, Public domain
  • Go Fast Official USG Footage of UAP for Public Release.webm. United States Navy, Public domain

Published 2026-10-25. Spotted an error? Email provenmysteries@gmail.com.

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