The 2004 Nimitz Tic Tac Encounter: Fravor's Account of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon

To the point

In 2004, Commander David Fravor and his squadron chased a Tic Tac–shaped UFO that performed implausible, non-aerodynamic maneuvers, seemed to jam radar, and was corroborated by radar and onboard video that could not be explained by any known aircraft or nation.

Behind the

An account of a 2004 encounter recalls Commander David Fravor, then commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 41, the Black Aces, chasing a mysterious Tic Tac UFO during a westbound mission. The air controller noted that these objects had been observed for over two weeks, descending from above 80,000 ft toward 20,000 ft, hovering for hours, and then rising again, with 80,000 ft being essentially space. The Tic Tac appeared as a small, solid craft with a north-south longitudinal axis, moving abruptly over the water and lacking rotors or visible control surfaces. As Fravor and his weapons systems officer closed in, another aircraft remained in high cover to observe while the Tic Tac mirrored their movements and then shot away, all without a sonic boom. The phenomenon reportedly performed maneuvers beyond conventional aviation, dropping down and loitering in the air with no obvious means of propulsion. It was corroborated by radar and other visual assets on board, although the radar tape has never been released and its whereabouts remain unknown. Fravor mentions that the object appeared to jam an APG-73 radar, and notes that such capability did not exist in 2004 among known technologies. He testified before Congress in 2004 that it was not theirs and not from any technologically advanced nation they could identify, and the team returned to the Nimitz with a 90-second video of the sighting.

Source: youtube.com