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UAP
Evidence Dossier

GoFast: The 2015 Navy Video and AARO Analysis

Evidence Dossier: A record proves that a statement, transfer, examination, or result was documented. It does not automatically prove the anomalous interpretation attached to it.
OverviewEvidenceTimelineAnalysisSources
January 2015, 2020, 2024, 2025
Atlantic Ocean east of Florida, USA
8/10
3/10
A Navy infrared video captured an unidentified object traveling at extraordinary speed just above the ocean.
Strong for the existence and official provenance of the video and for AARO’s published calculations; limited for exact speed, heading, position, and object identity because the analysis lacked complete aircraft track and atmospheric data.

Investigative Assessments

"The reported claim remains worth testing against the record: A Navy infrared video captured an unidentified object traveling at extraordinary speed just above the ocean. The strongest documented reasons to keep the file open are: AARO GoFast Case Resolution Report: AARO assessed the target at about 13,000 feet and modeled a wind-compensated speed range of about 5 to 92 mph, with high confidence that it showed no anomalous performance.; AARO Open-Hearing GoFast Slide: The slide states that the target was assessed at about 13,000 feet and about 45 mph, while winds at that altitude were about 60 knots.. Key unresolved lead: What was the recorded object?"
"Evidentiary limitations: Strong for the existence and official provenance of the video and for AARO’s published calculations; limited for exact speed, heading, position, and object identity because the analysis lacked complete aircraft track and atmospheric data. Note that: AARO GoFast Case Resolution Report fails to support: The report does not identify the object and warns that incomplete track and atmospheric data prevent an exact position, heading, or speed solution.; AARO Open-Hearing GoFast Slide fails to support: A summary slide does not expose the full computational model, and its statement that DoD released the video in 2017 conflicts with the 2020 date in the detailed report.. Documented contradiction: The target appeared to be moving rapidly near the ocean surface, but AARO calculated an altitude of about 13,000 feet. Leading conventional hypothesis: Parallax amplified apparent motion as the fast aircraft viewed a distant target against the surface."

Case Summary

A source-level review of the Navy GoFast video and AARO’s later computational analysis. The object is real as a recorded sensor target, but the available records do not establish exceptional speed, low-altitude flight, or extraterrestrial origin. AARO could not identify the object and assessed with high confidence that it showed no anomalous performance.

Evidence Locker

4 inspectable evidence items. Claims and source findings are kept separate.

Case resolution report Local copy hash-verified

AARO GoFast Case Resolution Report

Analyst rating: Strong official record of AARO’s event-specific reconstruction and stated uncertainty

“AARO has high confidence that the UAP did not exhibit anomalous or even exceptional behavior.”
Record locationPDF pages 1 and 24 to 26
Evidence classEvent-specific government analysis
Relationship to claimDirectly evaluates the extraordinary-speed interpretation using sensor-display data, wind modeling, and parallax geometry.
Authenticity assessmentHigh for document authenticity. Key pages and quoted conclusions were visually checked against the NARA PDF.
What this supportsAARO assessed the target at about 13,000 feet and modeled a wind-compensated speed range of about 5 to 92 mph, with high confidence that it showed no anomalous performance.
What it does not supportThe report does not identify the object and warns that incomplete track and atmospheric data prevent an exact position, heading, or speed solution.
ProvenanceOfficial NARA UAP bulk-download record, hash-registered in the Casebook manifest and served from the read-only VPS corpus mount.
Chain of custodyU.S. Navy sensor recording -> publicly released video -> AARO analysis -> OSD record transfer -> NARA bulk archive -> Casebook.
Open Document (Local PDF Document) Download Copy Canonical Agency Record
Official hearing presentation Local copy hash-verified

AARO Open-Hearing GoFast Slide

Analyst rating: Independent official presentation of AARO’s conclusion and headline calculation

“AARO, in coordination with S&T partners, assesses with high confidence the UAP did not demonstrate any anomalous speeds or flight characteristics.”
Record locationPDF page 5
Evidence classGovernment briefing record
Relationship to claimShows how AARO presented the case and its limitations to a Senate subcommittee.
Authenticity assessmentHigh for document authenticity. The GoFast slide was visually checked and kept separate from adjacent Puerto Rico wording.
What this supportsThe slide states that the target was assessed at about 13,000 feet and about 45 mph, while winds at that altitude were about 60 knots.
What it does not supportA summary slide does not expose the full computational model, and its statement that DoD released the video in 2017 conflicts with the 2020 date in the detailed report.
ProvenanceOfficial NARA UAP bulk-download record, hash-registered in the Casebook manifest and served from the read-only VPS corpus mount.
Chain of custodyOriginating federal office -> NARA Record Group 615 transfer -> NARA bulk ZIP -> hash-verified VPS extraction -> read-only Casebook mount.
Open Document (Local PDF Document) Download Copy Canonical Agency Record
Technical information paper Local copy hash-verified

AARO Parallax Information Paper

Analyst rating: Strong for the general optical mechanism, but not an independent reconstruction of GoFast

“Because of parallax, stationary objects can appear to have motion, and slow-moving objects can appear to move very fast.”
Record locationPDF pages 3 to 4
Evidence classGovernment technical-methods record
Relationship to claimProvides the optical mechanism used in the case-specific report and states its scope and limits.
Authenticity assessmentHigh for document authenticity. The relevant page was visually checked against the NARA PDF.
What this supportsThe paper explains how a moving airborne observer can make a stationary or slow object appear to move rapidly against a distant background.
What it does not supportA general methods paper does not prove that parallax completely accounts for this specific target.
ProvenanceOfficial NARA UAP bulk-download record, hash-registered in the Casebook manifest and served from the read-only VPS corpus mount.
Chain of custodyOriginating federal office -> NARA Record Group 615 transfer -> NARA bulk ZIP -> hash-verified VPS extraction -> read-only Casebook mount.
Open Document (Local PDF Document) Download Copy Canonical Agency Record
Sensor video recording Local copy hash-verified

GoFast Official USG Footage of UAP for Public Release

Analyst rating: Primary sensor video recording of the encounter showing the target and tracking telemetry

“[IR sensor display tracking target in black-hot and white-hot modes showing high apparent speed relative to ocean background]”
Record locationEntire 34-second video clip
Evidence classPrimary sensor media
Relationship to claimThe primary recording that forms the entire basis of the GoFast encounter and subsequent analytical debates.
Authenticity assessmentHigh. Officially acknowledged as authentic and released by the Department of Defense on April 27, 2020.
What this supportsCaptures the visual and sensor tracking display of the unidentified target moving over the ocean, including hot/cold target mode transitions and range tracking telemetry.
What it does not supportDoes not provide the uncompressed raw sensor telemetry or the full flight path of the F/A-18F, leaving the physical speed and wind velocities subject to calculation.
ProvenanceDeclassified U.S. Navy sensor video officially released by the Department of Defense, hosted on Wikimedia Commons.
Chain of custodyRecorded by Navy F/A-18F ATFLIR pod -> leaked to public domain -> DoD review and declassification -> official release via NAVAIR FOIA -> uploaded to Wikimedia Commons -> Casebook.
Open Document (Local WEBM Media) Download Copy Canonical Agency Record

Documented Timeline

  • 2015-01: A Navy F/A-18F recorded the target using a forward-looking infrared sensor east of Florida.
  • 2017: The video became publicly known; an AARO hearing slide later described this as a DoD release, while the detailed report states the official DoD release occurred in 2020.
  • 2020: DoD officially released the GoFast video, according to AARO’s detailed case report.
  • 2024-05: AARO produced a general information paper on forced perspective and parallax.
  • 2025-02-05: AARO presented a GoFast summary to the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.
  • 2025-02-06: AARO dated its detailed GoFast case resolution report.

Named Participants and Roles

  • Unidentified U.S. Navy F/A-18F pilot and aircrew: operators associated with the January 2015 recording.
  • Unidentified AARO and science-and-technology analysts: authors of the reconstruction and parallax analysis.
  • Dr. Jon Kosloski: AARO director named on the 2025 hearing-slide deck.

Contradictions and Record Conflicts

  • The target appeared to be moving rapidly near the ocean surface, but AARO calculated an altitude of about 13,000 feet.
  • The visual impression suggested exceptional speed; AARO’s modeled wind-compensated range was about 5 to 92 mph.
  • The hearing slide says the video was released by DoD in 2017, while the detailed report says DoD officially released it in 2020.

Conventional Explanations

  • Parallax amplified apparent motion as the fast aircraft viewed a distant target against the surface.
  • A balloon or other lightweight wind-influenced object is compatible with part of AARO’s modeled range, although AARO did not identify the object.
  • A conventional airborne object traveling within the modeled range would not require anomalous propulsion.

Missing Evidence

  • The complete original sensor data and uncompressed recording are not included in the acquired NARA set.
  • The aircraft’s true-track latitude and longitude were not provided to AARO.
  • Exact atmospheric conditions and a definitive object identification remain absent.

What Remains Unresolved

  • The target remains unidentified despite AARO’s nonanomalous-performance assessment.
  • The true speed and heading can only be bounded across assumed wind and aircraft paths.
  • AARO’s altitude calculation is described as high confidence, but the target’s physical nature is unresolved.

Investigative Hypotheses

  • A lightweight object moving generally with the wind appeared faster because of parallax
  • A conventional aircraft or other object followed a nonanomalous trajectory within AARO’s modeled range
  • The target had exceptional performance that was obscured by incomplete data, although the acquired official analysis does not support that interpretation

Open Questions

  • What was the recorded object?
  • What would the original sensor file and full aircraft telemetry change about the speed and heading bounds?
  • Why does one official slide say the video was released by DoD in 2017 while the case report says DoD officially released it in 2020?

Archival Landing Pages and Evidence Corpus

NARA Record Group 615, Office of the Secretary of Defense UAP Records

Official Bulk Archive

External URL: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/493468580

AARO UAP Case Resolution Reports

Official Agency Landing Page

External URL: https://www.aaro.mil/UAP-Cases/UAP-Case-Resolution-Reports/

Wikimedia Commons: Go Fast Official USG Footage of UAP for Public Release

Media Archive

External URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Go_Fast_Official_USG_Footage_of_UAP_for_Public_Release.webm