Those keeping up with reported unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) sightings over the last few years have been given tantalizing glimpses of deeply mysterious aircraft; including the ones Tom Delonge helped to propagate. Now, The Debrief reports the Department of Defense (DoD) has just “leaked” a new UAP image from 2018. And the aircraft—supposedly—has some very strange characteristics.
The Department of Defense/The Debrief
According to The Debrief’s report, which comes via Popular Mechanics, the DoD leaked the unclassified image on a secure “Intelligence Community network” via the department’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, or UAPTF. The DoD announced the Task Force, which Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist heads, earlier this year.
The pilot of an F/A-18 fighter jet captured the image of the UAP with a cell phone. Sources have apparently described it as a “cube-shaped” object, that’s silver in color and floats motionless. The pilot who took the photo, as well as the other pilot present, spotted the UAP cube “hovering” at an altitude of approximately 30,000 feet. (For reference, commercial airliners generally cruise around at an altitude of 38,000 feet.)
The Department of Defense/The Debrief
The pilots flew within roughly 1,000 feet of the UAP, which, while relatively close, still obviously only allowed for a distant picture. Indeed, the UAP appears tiny in the pilot’s photo, and resolution drops off pretty badly as one enlarges it.
Despite the less than ideal picture, however, it’s possible to make out some details. The UAP’s shape, in fact, is familiar to atmospheric researchers, as it resembles a dropsonde. A dropsonde (below), is a weather reconnaissance device scientists drop out of airplanes. The scientists drop them at altitude above water inside of a storm to track its condition.
The Department of Defense/The Debrief
The Debrief also says it’s possible the UAP in the photo is some kind of “military radar-reflector” or research balloon. The organization says it spoke with two defense officials, however, and they described it as having flight dynamics uncharacteristic for a balloon. Most notably, the object was reportedly completely motionless, despite ambient air currents.
In response to the “leak,” the Pentagon told The Debrief that, in so many words, it couldn’t comment. Which, while certainly not the shock of the century, does leave the door open for lots of potential hypotheses. Many of which should probably focus on other humans, considering their penchant for building strange sky mobiles.
