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GIMBAL

Unresolved

In January 2015, off the East Coast, an F/A-18 records with its infrared pod an object whose silhouette appears to rotate, while the aircrew talks about a “fleet” on radar. AARO keeps it as an unresolved case.

Date
Jan 2015
Location
Atlantic, off the US East Coast · exact location not publishedNo official source places the video. A wide area off the East Coast, from Virginia to Florida, including the W-72 training area off Virginia Beach cited by R. Graves.See the area on the globe →
Platform
F/A-18F Super Hornet · squadron VFA-11 (per R. Graves) [1][4 · p. 2, 5]
Sensor
ATFLIR pod, infrared (IR) channel [5 · p. 38][3]
Official status
Unresolved · AARO lists it as an unresolved case [1]

01 Sensor readout

Official video · verified linkWatch the GIMBAL video NAVAIR FOIA Reading Room · 34.4 s · 640×480 · 6.5 MBReleased Apr 27, 2020 · checked Oct 4, 2026 · SHA-256 8d260919fb0d…Opens on the official site. The frames below are taken from this very file; the built-in player arrives in V2.
Infrared display: a light object between brackets above a cloud layer.
  1. 150° LPod azimuth: 50° left
  2. 2Z 2.0Sensor zoom
  3. 3−2°Pod elevation: nearly level
  4. 4|◆|Tracked object
  5. 5WHTThermal polarity: white-hot
  6. 625010Aircraft altitude (feet)
  7. 75248ASensor clock

Start of the video, “WHT” polarity: hot shows white.

Frame · Video 3.0 s · Sensor clock 5248A · U.S. Navy / NAVAIR FOIA Reading Room · Public domain

Image record
Author
U.S. Navy
Origin
NAVAIR FOIA Reading Room
Original file
2 - GIMBAL.mp4.mp4 ↗
License
U.S. Government work: no U.S. copyright (17 U.S.C. § 105)
Retrieved
2026-10-04
Video SHA-256
8d260919fb0d31d4376aae522b17dd71292b25d916252a932912ebe6154f2477

The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.

Infrared display: a dark, tilted object between brackets, with a light halo.
  1. 18° LPod azimuth: 8° left
  2. 2−2°Pod elevation: nearly level
  3. 3|◆|Tracked object
  4. 4BLKThermal polarity: black-hot
  5. 525010Aircraft altitude (feet)
  6. 65312Sensor clock

“BLK” polarity: hot shows black. The silhouette appears tilted compared with the start.

Frame · Video 27.0 s · Sensor clock 5312 · U.S. Navy / NAVAIR FOIA Reading Room · Public domain

Image record
Author
U.S. Navy
Origin
NAVAIR FOIA Reading Room
Original file
2 - GIMBAL.mp4.mp4 ↗
License
U.S. Government work: no U.S. copyright (17 U.S.C. § 105)
Retrieved
2026-10-04
Video SHA-256
8d260919fb0d31d4376aae522b17dd71292b25d916252a932912ebe6154f2477

The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.

02 Timeline

  1. After a radar upgrade on its F/A-18Fs, squadron VFA-11 starts detecting unknown objects in the W-72 area off Virginia Beach. [4 · p. 1–2]

  2. An F/A-18 aircrew records the infrared video. Per Graves, his squadron recorded it, and radar showed a “fleet” of objects the pod does not display. [2][5 · p. 38][4 · p. 5]

  3. The video circulates after an unauthorized leak. [2]

  4. The DoD authorizes its release; the Navy hosts it in its FOIA library. [2][3]

  5. Graves tells the House that the full video and the radar data remain classified. [4 · p. 5]

  6. In the Senate, AARO is asked to share what it can about the GIMBAL video. There is no public resolution. [6 · p. 4][1]

03 Hypotheses

Status as stated by the official sources cited. The archive takes no side.

04 Testimony

“The recording on the AT FLIR system shows a single object that rotates.”
Ryan Graves, F/A-18F pilot, VFA-11 · House of Representatives hearing, 2023 [5 · p. 38]

05 Sources

  1. [1]

    Record · All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)

    UAP Imagery

    AARO's official imagery catalogue. It lists FLIR and GIMBAL as unresolved cases and GOFAST with its case resolution.

    Checked on Oct 4, 2026 · Open the original ↗

  2. [2]

    Press release · U.S. Department of Defense · Apr 27, 2020

    Statement by the Department of Defense on the Release of Historical Navy Videos

    The DoD authorizes the release of three unclassified Navy videos (one from November 2004, two from January 2015), previously leaked in 2007 and 2017. The phenomena remain characterized as “unidentified”.

    Checked on Oct 4, 2026 · Open the original ↗

  3. [3]

    Record · Naval Air Systems Command (U.S. Navy) · Apr 27, 2020

    NAVAIR FOIA Reading Room · Document Library (FLIR, GIMBAL, GOFAST)

    The official library where the Navy hosts the three videos. The frames in this archive come from there.

    Checked on Oct 4, 2026 · Open the original ↗

  4. [4]

    Statement · U.S. House of Representatives · Committee on Oversight and Accountability · Jul 26, 2023

    Ryan Graves / Americans for Safe Aerospace Written Testimony

    Written statement by Ryan Graves, F/A-18F pilot with squadron VFA-11, on the 2014–2015 encounters off the East Coast.

    Checked on Oct 4, 2026 · Open the original ↗

  5. [5]

    Hearing · U.S. House of Representatives · Committee on Oversight and Accountability · Jul 26, 2023

    Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency (Serial No. 118–53)

    Transcript of the hearing where David Fravor (FLIR1) and Ryan Graves (GIMBAL), among others, testified.

    Checked on Oct 4, 2026 · Open the original ↗

  6. [6]

    Hearing · U.S. Senate · Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities · Nov 19, 2024

    To Receive Testimony on the Activities of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office

    Transcript of the hearing where AARO director Jon Kosloski presented the GOFAST analysis.

    Checked on Oct 4, 2026 · Open the original ↗

  7. [7]

    Report · Office of the Director of National Intelligence · Jun 25, 2021

    Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

    The intelligence community's first public assessment: 144 reports (2004–2021), one identified. It proposes five possible explanatory categories.

    Checked on Oct 4, 2026 · Open the original ↗

May contain errors by the AI and the editor · always check the official source. · Privacy