The recent release of the Pentagon’s report on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), commonly known as UFOs, has reignited curiosity and debate about these mysterious objects. While the report acknowledges numerous sightings, a striking revelation is that many of these anomalies remain unexplained. To gain a clearer understanding, veteran pilot Andrea Finley, a former U.S. Air Force colonel and current commercial pilot, shares her professional perspective on what makes these phenomena so baffling.

Expertise Behind the Eyes of a Pilot
Andrea Finley’s credentials speak volumes. With experience flying advanced military aircraft such as the F-15C Eagle, T-38 Talon, and T-6 Texan II, and later transitioning to piloting Boeing 737s for major airlines, she brings a unique blend of tactical knowledge and practical flying expertise. According to Finley, pilots are frequently the primary witnesses to these objects because their missions often take them over vast ocean expanses—areas where unfamiliar aerial phenomena tend to appear.

She notes the psychological challenge pilots face when encountering unidentifiable objects mid-flight, highlighting the unease that would come from witnessing something defying all known aviation principles. “I can’t imagine being in their shoes and seeing what they saw. I think it would be terrifying to not know what this object was,” she explains.

Defying Conventional Aerodynamics
One of the most perplexing features of these UAPs is their apparent disregard for traditional flight mechanics. Typically, aircraft generate lift through wings shaped to manipulate air pressure—air moving faster above the wing creates a negative pressure zone that effectively “sucks” the plane upward. These unidentified objects, often described as acorn, pyramid, or spherical shapes, do not display any visible wings or airfoils. This anomaly suggests they overcome gravity in ways that conventional physics do not explain.

Finley elaborates that these shapes do not seem to possess any discernible means of lift, challenging everything aviators understand about how craft stay airborne.

Invisible Propulsion and Heat Signatures
Examining footage such as the 2015 “Gimbal” video, where a UAP appears on infrared targeting sensors, Finley points out the absence of any exhaust plume that would indicate conventional propulsion. Normally, any aircraft moving through air at high speed generates heat due to skin friction, picked up by infrared sensors as a heat signature. These UAPs, however, often show no such telltale signs, leaving their propulsion mechanisms a complete mystery.

The thermal imaging displays colors indicating heat levels—the hottest elements tracking as “white hot”—yet the objects themselves evade these signatures. This peculiar absence of detectable exhaust or heat sheds doubt on any known form of jet or rocket propulsion.

Unprecedented Speeds and Agility
Speed is another confounding aspect. While some UAPs move at velocities comparable to typical aircraft, others—such as the infamous “Tic Tac” encountered by the USS Nimitz carrier strike group—exhibit speeds surpassing anything known from current aerospace capabilities. Calculations estimate the Tic Tac’s maximum speed at about 46,000 miles per hour, roughly 60 times the speed of sound.

For comparison, the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest operational manned aircraft, flies at Mach 3.2 (three times the speed of sound), and the experimental X-15 reached speeds of Mach 6.7 in the 1960s. Current hypersonic vehicles under development globally travel between Mach 5 and Mach 10, but none approach the extreme velocities reported in some UAP encounters.

Stealth and Radar Evasion
Another hallmark of these objects is their elusive nature when it comes to detection. Most footage comes from infrared or night vision sensors rather than radar, hinting at advanced stealth capabilities. Certain UAP shapes resemble the angular planes of stealth bombers like the B-2, designed with flat surfaces to deflect radar waves and external materials that absorb radar signals.

Countries worldwide, including the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia, actively develop stealth technologies, yet the shapes and behavior of UAPs often do not match known prototypes, further deepening the mystery.

Multi-Environment Versatility
Finally, a particularly strange characteristic is the ability of some UAPs to transition seamlessly across different environments—moving effortlessly from space to the atmosphere, and even underwater. This “transmedium” capability points to engineering far beyond current human technology, indicating these objects operate in ways not yet understood.

Conclusion
With many UAPs defying the laws of physics, exhibiting no visible propulsion or lift mechanisms, traveling at incredible speeds, and evading radar detection—sometimes shifting between air, space, and underwater domains—the phenomenon challenges both scientific and military communities. Insights from experienced aviators like Andrea Finley help bridge the gap between raw sightings and aerospace analysis, but the true nature of these objects remains an enigma.

As investigations continue, unraveling the secrets of UAPs may transform our understanding of physics, technology, and perhaps even our place in the cosmos. Until then, the sky remains a frontier filled with mysteries, inviting exploration and caution alike.