USS Theodore Roosevelt Encounters

Between late 2014 and early 2015, pilots with Strike Fighter Squadron 11 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt reported observing unidentified aerial phenomena almost daily during training exercises off the southeastern U.S. coast. The sightings occurred frequently enough to become part of daily flight briefs, and pilots documented radar and infrared sensor data corroborating visual observations. The incidents prompted a hazard report and later official Navy guidelines for UAP reporting.

What did the pilots observe?

Pilots described objects as small and lacking visible features. One object was likened to "a spinning top moving against the wind," while another resembled "a sphere encasing a cube." According to Lieutenant Ryan Graves, the objects "had no visible engine or infrared exhaust plumes" and were reported to accelerate to hypersonic speeds and reach altitudes of as much as 30,000 feet. Graves stated that "these things would be out there all day" and noted that "12 hours in the air is 11 hours longer than we'd expect."

How were the objects detected?

The Navy had recently upgraded radar systems on its F/A-18 Super Hornets to the AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. Initially, pilots dismissed the radar detections as software glitches. However, they soon corroborated radar tracks with infrared sensors, confirming the objects were real. The sightings became so common that most colleagues observed them on radar and occasionally up close.

Did any incidents pose a safety risk?

In late 2014, Graves filed a hazard report with the Naval Safety Center after an object was observed flying between two F-18s flying in formation only 100 feet apart. One pilot reported seeing a dark gray cube inside a clear sphere, motionless against the wind. The jets were forced to take evasive action and terminated their mission immediately, returning to base.

What videos were released?

Two videos captured during the encounters became public. The "Gimbal" video, recorded on January 21, 2015, shows an object that appears to rotate while maintaining a steady flight path. The "GoFast" video, also from 2015, features an object moving rapidly over the ocean surface. The Department of Defense officially released both videos on April 27, 2020, confirming they were recorded during USS Theodore Roosevelt work-ups off the U.S. East Coast and characterizing the phenomena as unidentified.

What happened after the deployment?

The UAP incidents reportedly tapered off once Theodore Roosevelt deployed to the Persian Gulf in March 2015. Graves later clarified that he "did occasionally see radar signatures that performed in ways that were consistent with our experiences back home, though at a significantly reduced rate." In 2015, the Navy issued official guidelines for personnel to report and investigate aerial objects. Graves became the first active-duty pilot to testify to Congress about UAPs.

What remains unexplained?

Analysis of the GoFast video suggests the object may have been consistent with a balloon floating at 13,000 feet with wind speeds of 30 to 40 knots. However, the Gimbal video remains contested. While a glare or gimbal derotation explanation is plausible, pilots reported multiple radar returns and spatial awareness dynamics that this explanation does not fully address. Absent the radar track files and full-length video, the cause of the Gimbal object's rotation remains unresolved.