Analysts from the Pentagon and other intelligence agencies examined strange occurrences often referred to as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) between 2004 and 2021. They concluded they were either Chinese or Russian surveillance attempts or airborne rubbish.

According to Interesting Engineering, the U.S. Congress just received a secret paper to this effect.

(Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 17: U.S. Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray explains a video of an unidentified aerial phenomenon, as he testifies before a House Intelligence Committee subcommittee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on May 17, 2022, in Washington, DC. The committee met to investigate Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, commonly referred to as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).

Alleged UFOs are Just Chinese Surveillance Drones

New York Times, citing anonymous U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) officials, said that recent reports of UFOs or unexplained aerial phenomena (UAPs) are either foreign surveillance activities or airborne clutter.

Unnamed sources claim several UAP incidents have been formally connected to "relatively ordinary" Chinese surveillance drones. The DoD insiders also said that China has in the past stolen the designs for advanced American fighter jets and is interested in how the U.S. trains its pilots.

According to the research from Space.com, other UAP sightings claimed by military aircraft that show flying objects moving in ways that defy physics are most likely the product of optical illusions.

This contains the infamous "GOFAST" movie, a U.S. Navy plane shot down and made public in 2018. The government later declassified the video, along with two additional leaks of military encounters with UAPs.

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In 144 alleged UAP events that were purportedly reported by U.S. government personnel between 2004 and 2021, the new research adds new details to cases that were previously addressed in a document that was made public in June 2021.

Due to a dearth of high-quality data, the majority of alleged UAP interactions, according to the 2021 research, could not be adequately explained.

The report does provide several general explanations for UAP, such as technology deployed by China, Russia, another nation, or a non-governmental group, as well as "airborne clutter" such as birds and weather balloons.

UAP Data

Sue Gough, a DoD official, said the government was committed to providing all UAP data it could without endangering national security. According to Gough, government officials also refrain from addressing UAP incidents in public since there isn't enough data to provide a conclusive explanation.

Gough told The Times that observed occurrences are labeled as "unidentified" merely because sensors could gather sufficient data to assign a precise explanation.

She said that they are striving to address these deficiencies in the future and ensure they have enough information for their study.

Alongside the DoD's investigation of UAP sightings, NASA has also created an independent UAP study team that will operate from October 2022 through the middle of 2023.

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