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From 'flying saucer' to 'unidentified anomalous phenomena,' the language around UFOs has changed – and the words matter. Here's the complete guide to the terms shaping congressional hearings, Pentagon reports, and disclosure.
In September 2023, NASA released a landmark report calling for better data, less stigma, and a new UAP research director. More than two years on, the follow-through has been hard to find.
In November 2004, Navy pilots from the USS Nimitz carrier group encountered a white, wingless object that outmaneuvered their F/A-18s. The Pentagon later confirmed the footage was real – and the object remains unidentified.
Between 2014 and 2015, U.S. Navy aviators flying off Virginia Beach encountered unidentified objects so frequently they became part of daily briefs. The GIMBAL and GOFAST infrared videos – later released by the Pentagon – captured two of those encounters on tape.
MQ-9 Reaper sensor footage shown at a September 2025 congressional hearing appears to capture an AGM-114 Hellfire missile striking a small orb off Yemen's coast – with the object flying on afterward. The Pentagon has not commented.
On November 7, 2006, United Airlines pilots and ground crew watched a silent disc-shaped object hover over one of the world's busiest airports – then punch a hole through the clouds as it shot skyward. The FAA declined to investigate.
On March 13, 1997, thousands of witnesses across Arizona reported a massive, silent V-shaped craft and a separate row of stationary lights. The military said flares. The governor ridiculed it. A decade later, he said he'd seen it himself.