Gimbal and GoFast UAP Videos

What Happened

In January 2015, Navy pilots from the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group encountered and recorded unidentified objects over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida during training operations. The encounters produced two infrared videos that would later become among the most analyzed pieces of UAP evidence in the public domain: "Gimbal" and "GoFast."

The videos were recorded using the AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR (Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared) pod mounted on F/A-18F Super Hornets. Both videos surfaced publicly in December 2017 through The New York Times and To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science. The Department of Defense officially released them in April 2020, confirming their authenticity.

The Gimbal Video: This 34-second clip shows an infrared-significant object appearing to skim over clouds. Toward the end of the footage, the object appears to stop and rotate in place. Pilots can be heard exclaiming on the audio track. Naval aviators who participated in the event have stated that the object was within 10 nautical miles of the F/A-18F and that their radar showed it stop and reverse direction without a visible radius of turn. They also reported that the Gimbal object was accompanied by a formation of 4-6 other unknown objects.

The GoFast Video: This shorter clip appears to show a small object moving rapidly just above the ocean surface. Pilots react with surprise to the apparent speed. The on-screen display data shows the aircraft's altitude, heading, and tracking information, which has enabled detailed analysis of the footage.

Witnesses and Evidence

The videos constitute the primary evidence. Both were captured by military targeting systems, providing metadata including aircraft altitude, heading, and sensor pointing angles. This data has allowed independent analysts to attempt reconstructions of the objects' characteristics.

The pilots who recorded the footage remain largely anonymous, though some have provided context through interviews. Unlike the Nimitz encounter, no single named witness has become a public spokesperson for the Roosevelt incidents.

Ryan Graves, a former Navy F/A-18F pilot who served on the Roosevelt, has spoken publicly about UAP encounters during the 2014-2015 timeframe, though not specifically about these two videos. Graves testified before Congress in July 2023 about persistent UAP activity in military training areas off the East Coast, describing near-daily sightings by squadron members.

Official Investigations

The videos were initially investigated by the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) and later examined by the UAP Task Force and AARO.

GoFast Analysis: In February 2025, AARO released a detailed case resolution for the GoFast video. Using the on-screen display data, AARO analysts reconstructed the geometry of the encounter. Their key finding was that the object was not near the ocean surface, as it initially appeared, but was actually at approximately 13,000 feet altitude—similar to the aircraft's altitude.

AARO assessed the object's actual speed as between 5 and 92 miles per hour, depending on wind conditions, and concluded it was "moving with the wind" with no indication of propulsion. The apparent high speed in the video results from motion parallax—the relative movement between the fast-moving aircraft and the slower object creates an illusion of rapid motion. AARO concluded with "high confidence" that the object exhibited "no anomalous flight characteristics."

While AARO did not definitively identify the object, its behavior was assessed as "consistent with a balloon-like object."

Gimbal Analysis: The Gimbal video has received more complex treatment. AARO has not released a definitive case resolution for Gimbal as it has for GoFast. A 2023 paper presented at an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) conference attempted to reconstruct potential flight paths for the Gimbal object based on video data and aviator testimony.

The apparent rotation of the Gimbal object has been debated. Some analysts suggest the rotation is an artifact of the ATFLIR gimbal mechanism—the sensor housing rotates to maintain track, which can cause apparent rotation in the infrared image. Others argue the rotation represents actual movement of the object itself.

Proposed Explanations

GoFast - Balloon or Debris (AARO Assessment): AARO's analysis concludes GoFast shows a small object drifting with the wind at high altitude, with the apparent speed being a perceptual illusion caused by the viewing geometry. A weather balloon, research balloon, or piece of debris would be consistent with the observed characteristics. This explanation is supported by the technical reconstruction.

GoFast - Alternative Views: Some researchers dispute AARO's analysis, arguing the altitude estimates contain uncertainties and that the object's characteristics warrant further study. The object was not definitively identified, leaving some ambiguity.

Gimbal - Distant Aircraft with Glare: Skeptics have proposed that Gimbal shows infrared "glare" from the exhaust of a conventional jet aircraft viewed approximately tail-on at a distance of about 30 nautical miles. Under this hypothesis, the apparent rotation is an artifact of the ATFLIR's gimbal mechanism rotating to maintain track on a heat source. This would explain why no wings or aircraft structure are visible—at that distance, only the intense heat of the exhaust would register.

Gimbal - Anomalous Object: Proponents of the UAP interpretation point to aviator testimony that the object was much closer (within 10 nautical miles), where aircraft structure should be visible. They note the reported fleet of accompanying objects and the abrupt directional changes observed on radar. At the closer range, the reconstructed flight path shows highly unusual maneuvers—rapid deceleration followed by a "vertical U-turn"—that would be inconsistent with conventional aircraft.

Sensor Artifacts: Both videos may contain artifacts from the complex ATFLIR optical system. Understanding what is real object behavior versus sensor behavior requires detailed knowledge of the system that is not publicly available.

Current Status

The GoFast video has been effectively resolved by AARO. While the specific object was not identified, AARO's analysis concludes it was a mundane object whose apparent anomalous characteristics resulted from viewing geometry. This case illustrates how careful analysis of sensor data can reveal prosaic explanations for seemingly inexplicable footage.

The Gimbal video remains more ambiguous. AARO has not released a formal case resolution, and competing analyses offer different interpretations. The case continues to be debated by researchers and analysts.

Together with the Nimitz FLIR1 video, Gimbal and GoFast comprise the three Navy UAP videos that sparked renewed government and public interest in unidentified aerial phenomena beginning in 2017. While GoFast now appears to have a prosaic explanation, the other two videos remain subjects of ongoing analysis and discussion.

The Roosevelt-era encounters also contributed to policy changes, including the Navy's 2019 implementation of formal UAP reporting procedures and the eventual establishment of AARO. Ryan Graves and other pilots have cited the stigma they faced when reporting sightings as a safety concern that formal reporting channels now aim to address.