Following years of speculation, the U.S. Navy has officially authorized the release of three unclassified videos showing UFOs whipping through the sky.
Former blink-182 singer Tom DeLonge's UFO research group, To the Stars Academy of Arts and Science (TTSA), played a huge role in bringing these clips to light, originally sharing them in 2017 with the help of The New York Times.
Titled “GIMBAL.wmv,” “FLIR.mp4,” and “GOFAST.wmv,” you've likely come across the black and white shots before as they're some of the most famous UFO encounters ever recorded. In fact, the TTSA copies hold over 25 million combined YouTube views.
FLIR was filmed in Nov. 2004 while GIMBAL and GOFAST were taken in Jan. 2015.
They show various instances of unidentified aerial phenomena (UPA) as they're followed by the Navy's powerful tracking and sensor systems. Commentary from members of the Navy can be heard throughout.
"What the fuck is that thing?" asks someone in the GOFAST clip above. "Oh my gosh, dude," says another.
In a statement shared on Monday, the Department of Defense said they were releasing the clips "in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public" regarding the legitimacy of the recordings. Previously, the Navy acknowledged that the videos were real, but never officially published their own copies.
The DOD also reinforced that the aerial phenomena captured on tape remain "unidentified." They must've never heard of Lil Mayo...
https://twitter.com/weedthotss/status/1255141961587015686
DeLonge, who now plays in the band Angels & Airwaves, celebrated the long-awaited release of the footage by thanking TTSA's shareholders and hinting at how he and his team will continue pushing the "grand conversation" forward.
"Next, we plan on pursuing the technology, finding more answers and telling the stories," he tweeted.
https://twitter.com/tomdelonge/status/1254984848227184642
According to a Motherboard report published in Jan. 2020, the Navy supposedly owns a classified version of the FLIR video, which documents a 2004 encounter between the USS Nimitz and an unknown aerial object.
You can watch the other two official videos shared this week below. They're also available for download.
As headlines began to get extraterrestrial, freaked out humans and the phrases #AliensExist and "UFO" descended upon social media. Here are some of the best reactions, including one video compilation possibly showing UFOs in Israel.
https://twitter.com/xdotcas/status/1255060792522665984
https://twitter.com/TaeTaffy/status/1255052740318855170
https://twitter.com/Taytonb62/status/1255040642834718720
https://twitter.com/Himynameisjess6/status/1255053226958819330
https://twitter.com/TradeWithShivek/status/1255106548004646918
https://twitter.com/MunaNawabit1/status/1255065574675267584
https://twitter.com/sarahsavannah4/status/1255016234841542656
https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/1255235443614003203
https://twitter.com/juwasp85/status/1255084707458383874
https://twitter.com/hopeseekr/status/1255136787099336705
