The Tic Tacs were estimated to be about the size of a F18…the power it would’ve taken to make that maneauver was something like 1300 Gigawatts of power. That’s way more than the nuclear power output of the United States.

(Physicist Kevin Knuth)

The USS Nimitz Tic Tac UFO encounters refer to a series of unexplained and intriguing events that occurred in November 2004, involving the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group of the United States Navy and unidentified flying objects (UFOs) described as "Tic Tac"-shaped. These incidents have gained widespread attention and sparked numerous debates about the existence of extraterrestrial life and the potential capabilities of unidentified aerial phenomena.

The events unfolded off the coast of southern California during a routine training exercise. The USS Nimitz, one of the most advanced and powerful aircraft carriers in the world, was accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton and several fighter jets, including F/A-18 Hornets. The encounters began when the USS Princeton detected unidentified aerial objects on its radar system. The objects were described as moving erratically and exhibiting advanced flight capabilities beyond the known capabilities of any conventional aircraft.

When fighter jets were dispatched to investigate, one of the pilots, Commander David Fravor, reported seeing a strange, white, oval-shaped object resembling a Tic Tac mint moving in ways that defied the laws of physics. Fravor's encounter was not only visually striking but also supported by radar data that tracked the object's movements. The object reportedly demonstrated rapid acceleration, sudden stops, and instantaneous changes in direction, leaving seasoned military personnel puzzled and intrigued.

The USS Nimitz Tic Tac UFO encounters gained public attention in 2017 when a detailed account of the events was revealed by The New York Times and Politico. The news articles included statements from military personnel involved in the encounters and disclosed the existence of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), a secretive Pentagon initiative aimed at investigating UFO sightings. The release of declassified military footage further added to the credibility of the encounters, as it showed the perplexing aerial maneuvers of the unidentified objects captured by the onboard cameras of the fighter jets.

The Pentagon officially confirmed the authenticity of the videos in 2020, stating that they depicted unidentified aerial phenomena and that the encounters were under investigation by the U.S. government. This acknowledgment marked a significant departure from the longstanding policy of dismissing and downplaying UFO sightings.

The USS Nimitz Tic Tac UFO encounters have sparked various theories and speculations. Some believe that the objects could be advanced military technology from foreign adversaries, while others entertain the possibility of extraterrestrial origin. Skeptics argue that the phenomena may have natural or man-made explanations, such as atmospheric anomalies or technical glitches in the radar systems.

However, physicist Kevin Knuth, along with Robert M. Powell and Peter A. Reali, analyzed the Tic Tac data and wrote a paper titled Estimating Flight Characteristics of Anomalous Unidentified Aerial Vehicles. The paper makes it very clear that the data did not give credence to prosaic explanations such as advanced military technology or atmospheric glitches. Instead, the data revealed shocking and unexplainable physics were at play.

Professor Knuth recently went on the All Things Unexplained podcast to discuss these findings. He revealed the following jaw-dropping physics of the USS Nimitiz' Tic Tacs:

  • Upper speed: 45,000 mph.
  • Size of an F18.
  • Observed on radar for approximately 2 weeks.
  • Appeared at 80,000 feet and dropped to 28,000 feet.
  • Dropped from 28,000 feet to sea level (approximately 5 miles) in 0.78 seconds.
  • No fireballs.
  • No sonic booms.
  • 13,000 gigawatts of power would have been required to make its maneuvers, more than the nuclear output of the United States.
  • The movements of a Tic Tac UFO should have released the energy equivalent of 250 Tomahawk cruise missiles going off at once.

Regardless of various interpretations of the Tic Tacs, this physics analysis should be a wake-up call for everyone. There are forces at play in our sky that are beyond our understanding. Professor Knuth went on to add that when he asked a friend that used to work for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) how many UFOs are active in our skies at any one time, the friend said we don’t know.

“You don’t know if it’s 100 or 10,000?” asked Professor Knuth.

The DIA friend responded, “Yeah, we don’t even know that.”

The USS Nimitz Tic Tac encounters have reignited public interest in UFOs and prompted calls for greater transparency from government agencies regarding their investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena. The events involving the USS Nimitz have become a focal point in the broader discussion about the need for a more systematic and open approach to studying and understanding mysterious aerial occurrences, challenging conventional notions about the nature of the unexplained phenomena witnessed by military personnel.