AUTHENTICATEDCRAFT
The Nimitz 'Tic Tac' (FLIR1)
2004 · off San Diego · USA
WHAT IT IS
Forward-looking infrared of the object USS Nimitz pilots pursued in 2004. Officially released by the Pentagon in 2020 — the modern benchmark for provenance.
THE CASE FOR
The chain of custody is unmatched — a military sensor recording, corroborated by the USS Princeton's radar picture and multiple aviators, and officially released by the Pentagon in 2020.
THE CASE AGAINST
Authenticated footage is not an authenticated craft — sceptical analyses argue sensor glare and gimbal artefacts can account for much of the object's apparent behaviour on screen.
WHERE IT STANDS
Authenticated. The recording is genuine and its provenance confirmed. That alone does not say what the object was.
STATUS IS OUR CURRENT ASSESSMENT, NOT A VERDICT · REVIEWED 3 SEPT 2026
THE RECORD
- DATE
- 2004
- PLACE
- off San Diego · USA
- RECORDED BY
- US Navy · F/A-18 ATFLIR pod
- TECHNICAL
- AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR targeting pod · F/A-18 · IR + TV modes · DoD-cleared release, 2020
