Go Fast

MILITARY REPORT

AI Summary

The 'Go Fast' case involves a U.S. Navy F/A-18F pilot recording an unidentified object over the Atlantic Ocean in January 2015. Analysis by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) concluded that the object did not exhibit anomalous performance characteristics, with assessed speeds ranging from 5 mph to 92 mph at an altitude of approximately 13,000 feet.

Key Findings

- The object was recorded at an altitude of approximately 13,000 feet. - Speed ranged from about 5 mph to 92 mph, depending on wind conditions. - The object did not demonstrate anomalous performance characteristics. - The apparent high speed was attributed to motion parallax effects.

OCR Text

UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office U.S. Department of Defense Case: “Go Fast” Case Resolution | February 6, 2025 Case Overview In January 2015, a U.S. Navy F/A-18F pilot recorded an object using a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor about 13,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. The video appeared to show the object moving at high speed. AARO cannot definitively identify the object, but it displayed no anomalous performance characteristics. The Department of Defense officially released the “Go Fast” video in 2020. It is available for public viewing at the Navy’s FOIA Reading Room. Key Findings AARO assesses with high confidence that the object did not move at anomalous speeds. AARO's analysis showed: •The object’s altitude was approximately 13,000 feet. •The object’s speed ranged from about 32 m/s (72 mph) to 72 m/s (161 mph) depending on its heading relative to the wind. Compensating for the wind’s contribution to the object’s speed, its approximate speed range is 2 m/s (5 mph) to 41.3 m/s (92 mph). •The object’s heading deviated as much as 32° from wind direction, though most simulations conducted during AARO’s analysis showed significantly less difference. The object did not move against the wind in any simulation. Case Essentials Location: Eastern coast of Florida Date: January 2015 Object Altitude (reported): Near ocean’s surface Object Altitude (assessed): 13,000 feet Object Speed (reported): Appeared to move at high speeds Object Speed (assessed): 5 mph - 92 mph Object Shape (reported): Round Object Shape (assessed): Spherical or oblate ellipsoid Reporter: U.S. Navy Sensor: Forward Looking Infrared Reported Behavior: Moved at high speeds near the ocean’s surface Assessed Behavior: An object moving between 5 and 92 mph at approximately 13,000 feet Summary of Findings: High confidence the object did not demonstrate anomalous performance characteristics All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office Chief of Staff, AARO Authority: FY24 NDAA, now codified at 44 U.S.C. 2107 Date: 2/14/2025 Released in Full: X Case Number: 330UAP000008 0 8 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841(a)(1)(C) Date: 2/14/2025 UNCLASSIFIED 2 UNCLASSIFIED Determining the object’s true speed and direction of travel (heading) requires knowing the F/A- 18F’s heading. AARO calculated the object’s speed and heading relative to the aircraft because the video display does not contain the aircraft’s heading. AARO calculated the object’s position and direction of travel for the entire range of possible wind directions (0° - 360°) to account for differences in atmospheric conditions between the F/A-18F’s altitude and object’s altitude. This comprehensive modeling informed AARO’s assessment of whether the object moved with or against the wind and whether it behaved anomalously for all possible directions of travel. AARO factored in historical wind speeds and directions at both the object’s altitude (13,000 feet) and the aircraft’s altitude (25,000 feet), as measured near the time and location of the event: •At 13,000 feet, wind speed was 30.9 m/s (69 mph) from the west (265°). •At 25,000 feet, wind speed was 52 m/s (116 mph) from the west southwest (255°). Figure 1 shows the object’s range of possible speeds calculated while compensating for wind speed at 13,000 feet. This is considered the “intrinsic” speed. An intrinsic speed of 0 m/s indicates that the object is moving with the wind, or about 30.9 m/s. Figure 1: The y-axis represents the object’s speed with wind effects removed. The x-axis represents the wind’s heading relative to the F/A-18F’s airframe geometry (0° is a headwind). The curve represents the object’s range of speeds at each angle. The tailwind, headwind, and crosswind cases are denoted by the colored lines. The object’s lowest possible speed occurs near a headwind while the highest occurs in a tailwind. Figure 2 shows the object’s range of possible headings relative to the wind direction at 13,000 feet. A direction of 0° indicates that the object is moving in the same direction as the wind. 0 8 Page determined to be Unclassified Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841(a)(1)(C) Date: 2/14/2025 UNCLASSIFIED 3 UNCLASSIFIED Figures 1 and 2 can be used to find the object’s speed and heading compared to the wind for any direction of the F/A-18F’s travel relative to the prevailing wind direction. As examples, the object’s apparent speed and direction is summarized here for four scenarios: headwind, crosswind from the left, tailwind, and crosswind from the right. 1.Headwind (aircraft flying into the wind): The object moved 2.0 m/s (5 mph) faster than the wind, at a heading of ° 5° off-wind. 2.Left Crosswind (wind coming from the left side): The object moved 26.5 m/s (59 mph) faster than the wind, heading 31.5° off-wind. 3.Tailwind (…

Metadata

Agency
—
Classification
UNCLASSIFIED
Department
NARA
Confidence85
Credibility90

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