Summary
A Navy F/A-18 filmed a small object that appeared to move fast just above the ocean. AARO later offered a parallax explanation, but the object itself remains unidentified.
Detail
Background. Contemporaneous with Gimbal, in early 2015 in training airspace off the U.S. East Coast, an F/A-18 crew locked an ATFLIR onto a small, low, fast-moving target.
The encounter. In the footage, the pilot works the sensor to lock the target while exclaiming in surprise; the object appears to skim fast just above the ocean. The clip spread widely for its drama and the crew's reaction.
Technical analysis. GoFast is the video where the "official explanation" has advanced most. AARO's director testified to Congress that, via geospatial analysis and trigonometry, the office assesses with high confidence that the object is not actually near the water but rather around 13,000 feet — its apparent "high speed" being largely a parallax illusion. AARO still has not identified what the object is.
Aftermath. GoFast was officially released by the DoD in 2020 alongside the other two videos, as part of the government clarifying whether the circulating footage was real.
Footage
Technical detail
| AARO-assessed altitude | ~13,000 ft |
| Sensor | AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR |
| Official explanation | Parallax |
| Object ID | Still unidentified |
