--- title: "New York Times: Navy Pilots Baffled by UFO Encounters" description: "In an astonishing new report, Navy pilots detail their encounters with types of UFO — \"strange objects\" that have \"no visible engine or... exhaust plumes.\"" date: "2019-05-28" modified: "2019-05-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nyt-navy-pilots-ufo-encounters" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "alien" - "Navy" - "the digest" - "UFO" - "ufos" --- # New York Times: Navy Pilots Baffled by UFO Encounters ![]() *\Image: CoolCatGameStudio via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## Close Encounters In an astonishing [new story]() by *The New York Times*, Navy pilots detail their encounters with UFOs — "strange objects" that have "no visible engine or infrared exhaust plumes," but could reach "30,000 feet and hypersonic speeds." "Wow, what is that, man?" an unnamed pilot said in a video recorded in early 2015 of what appears to be an object flying above the ocean. "Look at it fly!" ## "Strange Stuff" Two pilots spoke on the record to the *Times*, while three more gave details about their UFO encounters under condition of anonymity. The UFOs aren't necessarily aliens — and are likely just unidentified terrestrial phenomena — but military officials aren't sure what they are. "People have seen strange stuff in military aircraft for decades," Ryan Graves, a lieutenant and Navy pilot, told *The Times*. "We’re doing this very complex mission, to go from 30,000 feet, diving down. It would be a pretty big deal to have something up there." ## Unidentified Aircraft The news comes after the U.S. Navy was found to be working on new guidelines for its personnel to report sightings and other encounters with “unidentified aircraft," [according to *Politico*]() — a sign that the Navy is taking UFO encounters more seriously. The [*New York Times* also uncovered]() a $22 million program in 2017 called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program — or "Black Money" — that investigated reports of UFOs from 2007 until 2012. **READ MORE:** [‘Wow, What Is That?’ Navy Pilots Report Unexplained Flying Objects]() \[*The New York Times*\] **More on UFOs:** *[The U.S. Navy Will Start Taking UFO Sightings Much More Seriously]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()