Government Releases Report On 2023 UFO Sighting, But Does It Pass The Smell Test?

The government is claiming to know the cause of a UFO sighting off the coast of Florida.

As OutKick readers know, there are few topics hotter right now than debates and discussions about UAPs and UFOs. People can't get enough of the unknown. Are aliens among us? Are we alone in the universe? What is up in the sky?

I don't have the answers to those questions, but with every bit of new info that comes out, there are often only more questions I find myself wondering.

That now includes the government's conclusion of a January 2023 sighting by a military pilot.

Government releases findings of January 2023 UFO sighting.

"On 26 January 2023, a military pilot reported four potential unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) while operating in the Eglin Air Force Base training range off the coast of Florida. Through the onboard radar system, the pilot initially observed that the four objects were aloft between 16,000 – 18,000 feet and appeared to be flying in formation. However the pilot observed only one of the four objects visually and captured two images of the single object via the aircraft’s electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor (see Figures 1A and 1B). The pilot could not record video of the event because the aircraft’s video recording equipment was inoperable prior to and during the aircraft’s flight. The pilot observed this single object aloft at 16,000 feet," the report from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office states, in part, when laying out the events of what happened.

To make matters more interesting, the airplane's systems apparently stopped working when it got near the objects, according to the report.

What are UFOs? (Credit: Getty Images)

"The pilot reported that upon closing to within 4,000 feet of the object, the radar on the aircraft malfunctioned and remained disabled for the remainder of the training exercise. Post-mission review determined that a circuit breaker had tripped; technicians reported that the same circuit breaker on this particular aircraft had tripped three times in the prior months, but technicians could not conclusively diagnose the cause of the fault for this incident. Based on the previous tripping of this circuit, AARO assesses the malfunction likely was not caused by or associated with the object," the report continues.

So, what could have been responsible? Take a seat because you're going to love this: balloons.

The report states two main points in its findings:

• (U) AARO assesses the object was a lighter-than-air (LTA) object, such as a large formfactor balloon; a meteorological balloon; a large Mylar balloon; or a large, commercial, outdoor, helium-filled, lighting balloon. AARO has moderate confidence in its identification of the object. AARO bases this assessment on a thorough review of the data collected, official pilot accounts of the object’s description and behavior, laboratory testing of a commercial lighting balloon determined to have similar physical characteristics to the object described in the pilot’s report, a reconstruction of the flight geometry, and the sun angle at the time of the observation.
• (U) No anomalous flight characteristics, behaviors, or capabilities were confirmed. AARO assesses the circuit breaker trip that caused the radar to fail was coincidental and likely due to a pre-existing, undiagnosed technical problem with the system.

Now, the findings could be accurate. Maybe. Maybe not. What I find a little bit odd is that a military pilot picked up four objects on his instruments, saw one, his gear then failed and we're being told to believe it was just balloons. That's pretty interesting. What are the odds highly advanced military tech would fail while a pilot is spotting UFOs?

It's not high. It's one hell of a coincidence.

What do you think UFOs are? Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com, and let's hope we continue to get more answers!