The Go Fast Incident: A Detailed Analysis of the 2015 Navy UAP Encounter

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Key Takeaways

• Video recorded by F/A-18F Navy jet in 2015.
• Sensor parallax creates high-speed illusion.
• Object likely a drifting balloon at wind speed.

Introduction to the Go Fast Event

The “Go Fast” video stands as one of the most analyzed pieces of evidence in the modern discussion of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). Recorded in January 2015 by United States Navy aviators flying from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), the footage appears to depict a small object skimming the surface of the ocean at high velocity. The video gained worldwide attention after its unauthorized release in 2017 and subsequent official confirmation by the United States Department of Defense in 2020. Alongside the “Gimbal” and “FLIR1” videos, Go Fast prompted a significant shift in how the American government and military institutions address reports of unidentified aerial objects.

The incident occurred during a workup cycle for the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group off the eastern coast of the United States. Pilots from Strike Fighter Squadron 11 (VFA-11) reported multiple contacts with unknown objects during this period. The Go Fast video is distinct from the others because of the specific visual impression it creates. To a casual observer, the object seems to fly at an incredible speed, banking and maneuvering low over the water. However, subsequent analysis by intelligence agencies, independent researchers, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) suggests that this impression results from an optical illusion known as the parallax effect.

This article examines the technical, operational, and atmospheric factors surrounding the Go Fast incident. It explores the capabilities of the sensor systems involved, the physics of the encounter, the testimony of the pilots, and the rigorous mathematical analysis that challenges the initial visual interpretation.

The 2014-2015 Roosevelt Deployment Context

The Go Fast incident did not happen in isolation. It was part of a broader series of events involving the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group between 2014 and 2015. During this time, the strike group conducted training exercises in the Jacksonville Operations Area off the coast of Florida and Virginia. These exercises prepared the air wing for deployment to the Persian Gulf.

A significant technological upgrade precipitated these sightings. The Navy had recently updated the radar systems on its F/A-18 Super Hornets from older mechanical radars to the AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. The Raytheon produced AESA radar provided a substantial leap in detection sensitivity. Almost immediately after the upgrade, pilots began noticing radar contacts that the previous systems had missed. These contacts appeared stationary in high winds or moved in ways that conventional aircraft could not.

Pilots described the objects visually as “cubes inside spheres” or small, helmet-sized objects drifting at various altitudes. The Go Fast video captures one of these objects. While the “Gimbal” video, recorded around the same time, shows a larger object rotating, Go Fast shows a smaller target that the sensor initially struggles to lock onto. The prevalence of these sightings became a safety hazard, causing near-midair collisions and forcing the squadron to file hazard reports.

The Aircraft: Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet

The platform used to record the Go Fast video was the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. This twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft serves as the backbone of the U.S. Navy carrier air wing. The “F” model is a two-seat variant, accommodating a pilot in the front and a Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) in the rear. This division of labor allows the crew to manage complex tactical situations more effectively than a single pilot could.

In the Go Fast scenario, the presence of a WSO is relevant to the recording. While the pilot flies the aircraft, the WSO typically operates the sensor pod, adjusting zoom levels, modes, and tracking parameters. The audio recording associated with the video captures the communication between the cockpit crew, revealing their reaction to the system’s difficulty in acquiring the target. The Super Hornet flies at high subsonic speeds during such patrols, and its altitude and bank angle significantly influence the geometry of the video recording.

The Sensor: Raytheon AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR

The primary instrument of interest in the Go Fast incident is the AN/ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) pod. Manufactured by Raytheon, this electro-optical sensor pod mounts to the fuselage of the F/A-18. It provides navigation, targeting, and surveillance capabilities in all lighting and weather conditions.

The ATFLIR pod houses a sensitive infrared camera, a laser rangefinder, and a laser designator. It can rotate and swivel to track targets independently of the aircraft’s motion. The system uses complex stabilization algorithms to keep the image steady, even when the jet maneuvers aggressively. This stabilization is so effective that it can mask the motion of the aircraft from the viewer, contributing to the optical illusions discussed later.

The Go Fast video displays the “BLK” mode, or Black Hot, where warmer objects appear darker than the cooler background. The ocean surface, being cooler than the target, appears lighter. The sensor also displays “WHT” or White Hot in other videos, but the specific choice of Black Hot in Go Fast helps contrast the small object against the water. The ATFLIR system displays critical telemetry data on the cockpit screen, which is recorded in the video. This data includes the sensor’s look angle, the aircraft’s altitude, and the calculated range to the target.

ATFLIR Telemetry Interpretation

The Heads-Up Display (HUD) symbology in the Go Fast video provides the mathematical keys to unlocking the true nature of the event. Four specific data points are visible on the screen:

1. Mach Number: The speed of the observing aircraft relative to the speed of sound.
2. Altitude (AL T): The height of the F/A-18 above sea level.
3. Angle of Bank: The tilt of the aircraft’s wings.
4. Range (RNG): The distance from the jet to the target, measured in nautical miles.

These numbers allow analysts to reconstruct the 3D geometry of the encounter. For instance, the range is displayed as “4.4 NM” (nautical miles) when the sensor locks on. The altitude is approximately 25,000 feet. This data contradicts the visual intuition that the object is close to the water. Trigonometry reveals that the depression angle of the sensor places the object at a significantly higher altitude than sea level, roughly halfway between the ocean and the jet.

Visual Breakdown of the Footage

The Go Fast video is short, lasting only 34 seconds in most public versions. It begins with the sensor in wide-field mode, searching for a target. The crosshairs sweep across the ocean surface. A small, dark object passes through the frame. The Weapon Systems Officer attempts to lock the sensor onto the object. The system switches to narrow field-of-view (NAR) but fails to trap the target initially.

“Whoa! Got it!” one crew member exclaims as the tracker finally engages. The box around the object solidifies, indicating a successful lock. The object appears to streak across the water, white waves or textures of the ocean rushing by in the background. This background motion is the primary driver of the “fast” interpretation. Because the water moves so quickly across the screen, the human brain infers that the object tracked against it must also be moving at high speed.

However, the camera is zooming in. The “NAR” indicator confirms a narrow field of view. When a camera with a high zoom factor tracks a stationary or slow-moving object from a fast-moving platform, the background will rush by rapidly. This is a standard cinematic effect, often used to create a sense of speed in movies, but here it creates a misleading tactical picture for the lay observer.

The Parallax Effect Explained

The central scientific explanation for the Go Fast video involves the phenomenon of parallax. Parallax is the apparent displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight. In the context of aviation, it refers to how objects at different distances appear to move relative to one another when the observer is in motion.

Imagine driving a car on a highway. The guardrail next to the road whips by in a blur. A house in the middle distance moves by more slowly. A mountain range on the horizon appears almost stationary. In the Go Fast video, the F/A-18 is the car, the object is the house, and the ocean is the ground. The jet flies at 25,000 feet. The object floats at approximately 13,000 feet. The ocean is at zero feet.

Because the jet is closer to the object than the object is to the ocean, the sensor must rotate to keep the object in view as the jet flies past. This rotation sweeps the camera’s field of view across the ocean surface below. The ocean, being much farther away in the background, appears to rush backward relative to the object. This visual rush makes the object look like it is flying forward at extreme speed, even if it is stationary.

Mathematical Reconstruction

Analysts from the Department of Defense and independent researchers used the on-screen numbers to calculate the actual speed. The aircraft was flying at approximately 350-400 knots. The range to the target was 4.4 nautical miles. The depression angle was roughly 22 degrees.

Using simple trigonometry:

Height difference = Range * sin(Depression Angle)

Horizontal distance = Range * cos(Depression Angle)

These calculations place the object at an altitude of roughly 13,000 feet above sea level, not near the surface. Furthermore, by calculating the angular velocity of the sensor required to track the object, analysts determined the object’s physical speed. The result of these calculations is that the object was moving at approximately 20 to 40 knots. This speed matches the wind speed at that altitude on that day.

Meteorology and Wind Data

Atmospheric conditions play a significant role in the analysis of the Go Fast incident. Weather data from the date of the event confirms that winds at 13,000 feet were blowing from the west-northwest at approximately 30 to 40 knots. This correlation is significant. If an object is moving at the exact speed and direction of the wind, it suggests the object is lighter-than-air and drifting with the current.

The consistency between the calculated object speed (derived from the video telemetry) and the recorded wind speed (derived from meteorological archives) provides a strong argument for the balloon hypothesis. It indicates that the object lacks its own propulsion system and is simply a passive rider on the air currents. This contrasts sharply with the visual impression of a craft engaging in powered, high-speed flight.

Possible Explanations: The Balloon Hypothesis

Given the size, temperature profile, and movement characteristics, the most probable explanation for the Go Fast object is a meteorological balloon or a similar lighter-than-air device. The object appears cooler than the ocean in the infrared spectrum, which is consistent with a balloon drifting at high altitude where the air is cold.

Balloons are common in the operating areas off the East Coast. They are used for weather monitoring, radar calibration, and even recreational purposes. The “helmet” or “sphere” shape described by pilots in other encounters matches the profile of certain weather balloons or radar reflectors. While the pilots of VFA-11 reported seeing objects with “cubes” inside them, the resolution of the Go Fast video is insufficient to resolve such internal detail. The video shows a simple blob, which allows for multiple interpretations but fits the balloon profile well.

The Role of AATIP and TTSA

The public journey of the Go Fast video began with the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), a secretive Department of Defense initiative. Luis Elizondo, the former director of AATIP, resigned in 2017 and subsequently joined the To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science (TTSA). TTSA, co-founded by musician Tom DeLonge, released the Go Fast video to the public in March 2018, following the earlier release of the Gimbal and FLIR1 videos in December 2017.

TTSA promoted the video as evidence of advanced technology. Their press materials highlighted the “high-speed flight” and “low altitude” of the object. This framing set the initial narrative for the media and the public. The organization argued that the object demonstrated capabilities far beyond known human technology. This initial framing made the subsequent scientific debunking more difficult, as the “fast” narrative had already taken root in the public consciousness.

The Pilot Testimony: Ryan Graves

Lieutenant Ryan Graves, a former F/A-18 pilot with VFA-11, has been the most vocal witness regarding the Roosevelt encounters. While he did not pilot the specific jet that recorded Go Fast, he was in the squadron and briefed on the event. Graves founded Americans for Safe Aerospace to encourage pilots to report UAP without fear of stigma.

Graves argues that the radar data supports the existence of anomalous objects. He states that the objects could remain stationary in hurricane-force winds or accelerate to supersonic speeds instantly. While the Go Fast video itself may be explicable by parallax, Graves contends that it represents only one data point in a much larger set of unexplained interactions. He emphasizes that pilots saw these objects with their eyes and tracked them on multiple sensors, not just the ATFLIR.

This creates a tension between the specific analysis of the video and the broader context of pilot testimony. Skeptics focus on the video’s math, which solves the Go Fast case individually. Proponents focus on the aggregate pilot experience, arguing that explaining one video does not explain the entire phenomenon.

Government Investigations: UAPTF and AARO

Following the release of the videos, the U.S. government established a series of task forces to investigate. The Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) was succeeded by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). AARO has specifically addressed the Go Fast video in its public hearings and reports.

Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, the first director of AARO, and his team performed detailed analysis of the Go Fast footage. Their findings aligned with the independent skeptical analysis. In a Congressional hearing, AARO officials presented a slide specifically debunking the high-speed interpretation of Go Fast. They confirmed the altitude of 13,000 feet and the low speed consistent with wind.

AARO’s conclusion is that the Go Fast object does not exhibit anomalous flight characteristics. This official stance contradicts the initial claims made by TTSA and supports the parallax explanation. AARO continues to investigate other cases but considers the Go Fast video resolved as a non-anomalous object.

NASA Independent Study Team

In 2022, NASA commissioned an independent study team to examine UAP data. This panel, comprised of scientists and aviation experts, also reviewed the Go Fast footage as a case study in data interpretation. The team used the video to demonstrate the importance of sensor metadata.

The NASA report highlighted that without the range and altitude data displayed on the HUD, the video would remain a mystery. However, with that data, the physics becomes solvable. The panel used Go Fast to illustrate how “anomalous” appearing data often resolves into conventional explanations when subjected to rigorous scientific scrutiny. They emphasized that high-quality, calibrated data is essential for moving UAP research from anecdote to science.

Comparison with the Gimbal Video

The Go Fast video is often grouped with the “Gimbal” video, recorded by the same squadron around the same time. The comparisons are instructive. Gimbal shows a rotating object with a heat signature that obscures its structure (a “glare”). Go Fast shows a non-rotating, cooler object.

While Gimbal remains more difficult to explain definitively due to the rotation and the lack of range data in some parts of the clip, Go Fast is mathematically cleaner. The presence of the range measurement (4.4 NM) in Go Fast makes it the “weakest” of the three Navy videos in terms of evidence for anomalous propulsion. It serves as a cautionary tale against relying on visual impressions from single-sensor data.

The Psychological Aspect of UAP Sightings

The Go Fast incident reveals much about human perception. The “Go Fast” label itself primes the viewer to see speed. The audio of the pilots expressing excitement reinforces this interpretation. The visual of the water rushing by confirms it. It requires a conscious, analytical effort to override these sensory inputs with mathematical data.

This phenomenon is known as confirmation bias. Once the pilots or viewers believe they are seeing a fast object, the brain filters the information to support that conclusion. The pilots, operating in a high-stress environment and primed by previous radar contacts, naturally interpreted the visual data as another high-speed intercept.

Implications for National Security

Regardless of whether the object was a balloon or a drone, the Go Fast incident raises valid national security concerns. If the object was a foreign surveillance drone, it managed to operate near a U.S. Carrier Strike Group with relative impunity. The fact that standard radars had trouble detecting these objects until the software upgrade suggests a gap in defensive capabilities.

The ubiquitous presence of unidentified low-observable objects in military training ranges poses a collision risk. A jet hitting a meteorological balloon at 350 knots could suffer catastrophic engine damage. Therefore, identifying these objects is a priority for flight safety, even if they are not extraterrestrial in origin.

The “Zone of Confusion”

The altitude where the Go Fast object was found (13,000 to 20,000 feet) is a chaotic airspace. It is occupied by commercial air traffic, military training flights, weather balloons, and potentially private drones. The lack of transponder signals from the Go Fast object complicates the picture.

In modern aviation, situational awareness relies on cooperative systems like ADS-B. An object that does not broadcast its identity becomes a “bogey.” The Go Fast incident highlights the difficulty of managing non-cooperative traffic in a military exercise zone.

Analysis of the “Lock” Mechanism

The ATFLIR’s difficulty in locking onto the Go Fast object is noteworthy. The system uses contrast tracking. It looks for a sharp difference in temperature between the target and the background. The object was small and cold, offering little contrast against the cold ocean water.

The video shows the tracking box expanding and contracting as it tries to define the edges of the target. This behavior is consistent with tracking a small, indistinct thermal signature. It does not necessarily indicate electronic countermeasures or “jamming,” but rather the limits of the optical tracking software of 2015.

Public Reception and Cultural Impact

The Go Fast video has permeated popular culture. It has been featured in documentaries, news segments, and television series like “Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigation.” It played a central role in the 2017 New York Times article that broke the story of the Pentagon’s secret UFO program.

For many, the video remains proof of alien visitation. For others, it is a proven debunk. This dichotomy reflects the polarized nature of the UAP subject. The video acts as a Rorschach test: believers see a craft defying physics; skeptics see a balloon obeying the wind.

The Importance of Peer Review

The resolution of the Go Fast mystery demonstrates the value of open-source intelligence and peer review. While the government held the video for years, it was the civilian community – mathematicians, physicists, and video analysts – who first cracked the parallax code publicly.

When NASA and AARO later confirmed the parallax explanation, they validated the work of the online citizen-science community. This suggests that future UAP analysis benefits from transparency and public data release, allowing a wider range of expertise to be applied to the problem.

Future Sensor Technology

The limitations of the ATFLIR pod shown in Go Fast are being addressed by newer systems. The Navy is transitioning to the Infrared Search and Track (IRST) Block II sensors. These new pods offer higher resolution, better passive ranging, and improved processing power.

Future encounters will likely produce data with higher fidelity, reducing the ambiguity that allows the Go Fast debate to persist. Higher resolution cameras would reveal whether the “blob” has control surfaces, propellers, or markings, instantly differentiating a balloon from a drone.

The Role of Congress

The Go Fast video was screened in classified and unclassified briefings for members of the United States Congress. These briefings led to the legislation establishing the UAP task forces. The video served as a catalyst for political action, shifting the UAP topic from the fringe to the halls of the United States Capitol.

Lawmakers cited the video as evidence that the military was encountering unknowns that needed to be identified. The outcome of this political pressure was the requirement for annual reports on UAP and the establishment of formal reporting mechanisms for whistleblowers.

Summary

The Go Fast incident remains a pivotal moment in the history of UAP transparency. While the object itself is almost certainly a balloon drifting in the wind, misinterpreted due to the parallax effect, the event forced the U.S. military to acknowledge the presence of unidentified objects in its airspace. The release of the video bridged the gap between conspiracy theory and legitimate inquiry, leading to new laws, new offices, and a renewed scientific interest in the sky. The legacy of Go Fast is not the discovery of new physics, but the discovery of a new willingness to look at the data.

Appendix: Top 10 Questions Answered in This Article

What is the Go Fast video?

The Go Fast video is a recording taken by U.S. Navy pilots in 2015 showing an unidentified object flying over the ocean. It was released publicly in 2017 and is one of three famous “Pentagon UFO videos.”

Does the object in the video actually go fast?

No, analysis by the Pentagon and NASA indicates the object is moving at a slow speed, likely between 20 and 40 mph. The appearance of high speed is an optical illusion caused by the parallax effect as the jet flies past the object.

What is the parallax effect?

Parallax is a visual phenomenon where objects closer to an observer appear to move faster than objects further away. In the video, the ocean background is far away, and the jet’s camera movement makes the stationary or slow object appear to zoom across the water.

What kind of sensor recorded the Go Fast video?

The video was recorded using a Raytheon AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR pod. This is an advanced electro-optical targeting system mounted on the F/A-18 Super Hornet used for navigation and targeting.

What altitude was the object flying at?

Trigonometric calculations based on the numbers on the screen place the object at approximately 13,000 feet above sea level. This contradicts the visual impression that the object is skimming right above the water.

Is the Go Fast object an alien spacecraft?

There is no evidence to suggest the object is extraterrestrial. The flight characteristics are consistent with a terrestrial balloon or small drone moving with the wind.

Who released the video to the public?

The video was released by the To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science (TTSA) in 2018. It had been declassified by the Department of Defense but was not widely distributed until TTSA published it.

What does the term “Black Hot” mean?

“Black Hot” is a setting on the infrared camera where warmer objects appear black and cooler objects appear white. In the video, the object appears dark against the lighter (cooler) ocean, helping the sensor track it.

What did the pilots say about the incident?

Pilots from the squadron reported seeing strange objects frequently during that training period. They described them as “cubes inside spheres” or small objects that could stay stationary in high winds, though the specific Go Fast video is best explained by wind drift.

What is AARO’s conclusion on the Go Fast case?

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) assesses that the object is not exhibiting anomalous behavior. They concluded the object is likely a balloon-like entity moving at a speed consistent with the local wind velocity.

Appendix: Top 10 Frequently Searched Questions Answered in This Article

What is the difference between the Go Fast and Gimbal videos?

The Go Fast video shows a small object appearing to speed over water, while the Gimbal video shows a larger, rotating object with a glowing aura. Go Fast is generally considered easier to explain mathematically than Gimbal.

How did the Navy pilots react in the Go Fast video?

The pilots expressed excitement and surprise, exclaiming “Whoa! Got it!” when the sensor finally locked onto the target. Their reaction reflects the difficulty of tracking the small object.

Why did the Go Fast object look like it was near the water?

The camera was pointed down at a steep angle (about 22 degrees), and the zoom level was high. This compression of the field of view removed depth cues, making the mid-air object look like it was against the ocean surface.

What does the “RNG” number on the screen mean?

“RNG” stands for Range. In the video, it shows “4.4 NM,” which means the object was 4.4 nautical miles away from the aircraft at the moment of the lock.

Did the Go Fast object have wings or an engine?

The video resolution is too low to see details like wings, rotors, or exhaust plumes. The object appears as a simple dark shape or “blob” in the infrared spectrum.

Who is Mick West and what did he discover?

Mick West is a skeptic and researcher who popularized the parallax explanation for the Go Fast video. He used the on-screen trigonometry to prove the object was moving slowly, not fast.

What happened to the USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2015?

The aircraft carrier was conducting training exercises off the U.S. East Coast. During these exercises, its pilots had numerous radar and visual encounters with unidentified aerial objects.

Why didn’t the radar detect the object earlier?

The object was detected after the jets upgraded to the new AN/APG-79 AESA radar. This advanced radar is sensitive enough to pick up small, slow-moving targets that older radars filtered out as “clutter.”

Is the Go Fast video classified?

No, the video is unclassified. It was officially released by the Pentagon in 2020 to clear up misconceptions about the footage circulating online.

What is the wind speed explanation?

Weather data shows winds at 13,000 feet were blowing at roughly 30-40 knots. The calculated speed of the object matches this exactly, suggesting it was floating with the wind.