Research suggests Gimbal UAP performed rapid vertical U-turn

Research reconstructing the flight path of the January 2015 Gimbal UAP indicates the object performed a rapid vertical U-turn, aligning with eyewitness accounts from U.S. Navy aviators ^[1][2].

The findings suggest the object exhibited flight characteristics that contradict conventional aerodynamics. This reconstruction provides a mathematical basis for pilot claims that the object reversed direction instantaneously, which is a central point of contention in the analysis of military UAP footage ^[1][2].

The Gimbal Encounter

The Gimbal event took place in January 2015 off the coast of Florida ^[1]. It was recorded by the targeting pod of a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet, resulting in an ATFLIR (Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared) video that shows an infrared-significant object skimming over clouds before appearing to rotate in mid-air ^[1][2]. The video is 34 seconds long; towards the end of the clip, the object appears to stop and rotate ^[1][2].

The U.S. Department of Defense officially released the Gimbal video as authentic military footage on April 27, 2020, alongside two other videos—FLIR1 and GOFAST—to address public misunderstandings regarding the clips ^[8]. Prior to this official release, the footage had been circulating in the public domain following unauthorized releases ^[5].

Flight path reconstruction and pilot data

The new research utilized data from the ATFLIR video to model potential flight paths based on the distance of the object from the aircraft ^[1][2]. Naval aviators who participated in the encounter provided three key pieces of evidence: the UAP was within 10 nautical miles of the F/A-18F, it was accompanied by a formation of four to six other unknown objects, and it appeared on the aircrew's top-down radar display to stop and reverse direction with no radius of turn ^[1][2].

At the 10-nautical-mile range provided by the aviators, the reconstructed paths show the object decelerating from a few hundred knots before executing a rapid vertical U-turn ^[1][2]. The study notes that such a maneuver would appear on a top-down radar display as an abrupt reversal of direction with no radius of turn ^[1][2]. This model matches the aircrew's recollections and their observation of the object's rotation ^[1][2].

Anomalous characteristics and accompanying objects

The reconstructed flight path is described as highly anomalous because the object lacks visible wings or a standard infrared signature at the distance reported by the pilots ^[1][2]. The ability to reverse direction without a turn radius suggests propulsion or maneuverability not found in known aircraft ^[1][2].

Beyond the primary object, the naval aviators reported that the UAP was accompanied by a formation of four to six other unknown objects ^[1][2]. While the current flight path research focuses on the primary object seen in the video, the presence of a formation suggests a coordinated event rather than a single isolated sensor anomaly ^[1][2].

Government records and transparency

The Gimbal video is part of a broader effort to catalog anomalous phenomena. Following the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, the National Archives established the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection, known as Record Group 615 ^[6].

This collection requires federal agencies to transfer digital copies of all UAP records to the National Archives on a rolling basis, as detailed in AC Memo 04.2025: Transfer of Publicly Releasable Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Records ^[6]. These records provide the primary source material that independent researchers use to challenge or verify official government explanations of encounters ^[6].

What we don't know

• What physical properties or propulsion systems would allow an object to perform a vertical U-turn without visible wings or a standard infrared signature?
• What were the identities and flight paths of the four to six other unknown objects accompanying the primary UAP?
• Does the overhead radar data mentioned by aviators exist in a form that can be independently verified against the ATFLIR video reconstruction?