AARO Analysis - ’Go Fast’ UAP Shows No Anomalous Movement
Alien Life & UFO/UAPs
Thursday 13th, February 2025
4 minute read.
A newly released report from the United States Department of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has provided an in-depth analysis of the well-known "Go Fast" video, concluding that the object captured in the footage exhibited no anomalous flight characteristics. The report, dated 6 February 2025, offers a technical breakdown of the video originally recorded in 2015.
The "Go Fast" video was recorded in January 2015 by a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet off the coast of Florida. The footage, taken using the aircraft’s Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor, appeared to depict a small object moving swiftly just above the ocean’s surface. When the U.S. Department of Defense publicly released the video in 2020, it became one of three widely discussed unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) recordings, prompting intense speculation and congressional scrutiny.
According to AARO’s latest assessment, the object was not near the ocean’s surface but at an altitude of approximately 4,000 metres. Additionally, its speed was estimated to be between 8 and 148 km/h, depending on wind conditions. The report concluded that the object was "moving with the wind" and exhibited no signs of propulsion or manoeuvrability inconsistent with known atmospheric behaviour.
"AARO assesses with high confidence that the object did not move at anomalous speeds," the report stated. "The object’s apparent high speed is attributable to motion parallax, an optical effect that induces an observer to perceive that a stationary or slow-moving object is moving much faster than its actual speed when viewed from a moving frame of reference."
Motion parallax is a well-documented phenomenon that can create misleading impressions in aerial footage, particularly when recorded from high-speed military jets. The AARO analysis incorporated historical wind data from the time and location of the encounter, which indicated that at 4,000 metres, winds were blowing at approximately 111 km/h from the west. The findings suggest the object’s speed was within the expected range for a small airborne entity, such as a balloon or drone.
AARO acknowledged certain limitations in its analysis due to the loss of the original file and metadata, meaning that the assessment was based on a compressed version of the video. Additionally, the lack of complete flight telemetry from the F/A-18F required the agency to consider a range of possible aircraft headings when conducting its calculations. Despite these constraints, AARO expressed confidence in its conclusions that the object did not demonstrate extraordinary flight capabilities.
The release of the AARO report has prompted varied reactions from experts and the public. Skeptics of the extraterrestrial hypothesis have pointed to the findings as further proof that the "Go Fast" object was likely of mundane origin. Mick West, a well-known investigator of UAP footage, has long argued that the object was probably a balloon. He has stated that AARO’s findings align with his own independent analysis.
However, not everyone is convinced. Some researchers have raised concerns about the methodology employed by the U.S. Department of Defense, citing the absence of original metadata as a barrier to full transparency. Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, who has frequently spoken about military encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena, maintains that broader questions remain regarding UAP incidents experienced by naval personnel.
The conclusions in the AARO report are consistent with statements made by Dr Jon Kosloski, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, during his testimony to the U.S. Congress in November 2024. At that time, Dr Kosloski stated, “Through a very careful geospatial intelligence analysis and using trigonometry, we assess with high confidence that the object is not actually close to the water, but is rather closer to 4,000 metres.” He attributed the object’s seemingly extraordinary speed to the parallax effect, explaining it as “a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight.”
The "Go Fast" video, along with the "Gimbal" and "FLIR1 (Tic Tac)" videos, has played a central role in the ongoing debate over unidentified aerial phenomena. The footage was first made public in 2018 through The New York Times and To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science, an organisation co-founded by former Blink-182 musician Tom DeLonge. At the time, the release of these videos marked an unprecedented acknowledgment of military encounters with unidentified objects.
Since then, numerous congressional hearings and government reports have fuelled discussions on the nature and origin of these phenomena. While the latest AARO report provides a detailed scientific explanation for the "Go Fast" video, questions persist regarding other UAP incidents recorded by the U.S. military. With continued investigations and public interest, the debate over the true nature of UAPs remains as active as ever.
The "Go Fast" video was recorded in January 2015 by a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet off the coast of Florida. The footage, taken using the aircraft’s Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor, appeared to depict a small object moving swiftly just above the ocean’s surface. When the U.S. Department of Defense publicly released the video in 2020, it became one of three widely discussed unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) recordings, prompting intense speculation and congressional scrutiny.
According to AARO’s latest assessment, the object was not near the ocean’s surface but at an altitude of approximately 4,000 metres. Additionally, its speed was estimated to be between 8 and 148 km/h, depending on wind conditions. The report concluded that the object was "moving with the wind" and exhibited no signs of propulsion or manoeuvrability inconsistent with known atmospheric behaviour.
"AARO assesses with high confidence that the object did not move at anomalous speeds," the report stated. "The object’s apparent high speed is attributable to motion parallax, an optical effect that induces an observer to perceive that a stationary or slow-moving object is moving much faster than its actual speed when viewed from a moving frame of reference."
Motion parallax is a well-documented phenomenon that can create misleading impressions in aerial footage, particularly when recorded from high-speed military jets. The AARO analysis incorporated historical wind data from the time and location of the encounter, which indicated that at 4,000 metres, winds were blowing at approximately 111 km/h from the west. The findings suggest the object’s speed was within the expected range for a small airborne entity, such as a balloon or drone.
AARO acknowledged certain limitations in its analysis due to the loss of the original file and metadata, meaning that the assessment was based on a compressed version of the video. Additionally, the lack of complete flight telemetry from the F/A-18F required the agency to consider a range of possible aircraft headings when conducting its calculations. Despite these constraints, AARO expressed confidence in its conclusions that the object did not demonstrate extraordinary flight capabilities.
The release of the AARO report has prompted varied reactions from experts and the public. Skeptics of the extraterrestrial hypothesis have pointed to the findings as further proof that the "Go Fast" object was likely of mundane origin. Mick West, a well-known investigator of UAP footage, has long argued that the object was probably a balloon. He has stated that AARO’s findings align with his own independent analysis.
However, not everyone is convinced. Some researchers have raised concerns about the methodology employed by the U.S. Department of Defense, citing the absence of original metadata as a barrier to full transparency. Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, who has frequently spoken about military encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena, maintains that broader questions remain regarding UAP incidents experienced by naval personnel.
The conclusions in the AARO report are consistent with statements made by Dr Jon Kosloski, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, during his testimony to the U.S. Congress in November 2024. At that time, Dr Kosloski stated, “Through a very careful geospatial intelligence analysis and using trigonometry, we assess with high confidence that the object is not actually close to the water, but is rather closer to 4,000 metres.” He attributed the object’s seemingly extraordinary speed to the parallax effect, explaining it as “a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight.”
The "Go Fast" video, along with the "Gimbal" and "FLIR1 (Tic Tac)" videos, has played a central role in the ongoing debate over unidentified aerial phenomena. The footage was first made public in 2018 through The New York Times and To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science, an organisation co-founded by former Blink-182 musician Tom DeLonge. At the time, the release of these videos marked an unprecedented acknowledgment of military encounters with unidentified objects.
Since then, numerous congressional hearings and government reports have fuelled discussions on the nature and origin of these phenomena. While the latest AARO report provides a detailed scientific explanation for the "Go Fast" video, questions persist regarding other UAP incidents recorded by the U.S. military. With continued investigations and public interest, the debate over the true nature of UAPs remains as active as ever.
