USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group 11 "Tic-Tac" AN/SPY-1B + F/A-18F ATFLIR Intercept
SOCAL Offshore Operating Area (60–100 mi SW of San Diego / Catalina) (31.2°, -118.4°) • Event Date: 2004-11-14 • NARA RG 38 & RG 615 / DoD AARO CSG-11 Nimitz-Princeton Case File
Benchmark multi-sensor case in PURSUE Release 03: on November 14, 2004, USS Princeton (CG-59) AN/SPY-1B phased-array radar, E-2C Hawkeye radar, F/A-18F visual aircrews (CDR David Fravor & LCDR Alex Dietrich), and AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR IR pods tracked a 14 m (46 ft) white oblong "Tic-Tac" craft dropping from 24,384 m (80,000 ft / 24.38 km / 15.15 mi) to 15 m (50 ft) above the Pacific Ocean in 0.78 seconds (18,000+ mph / 8.05 km/s / Mach 23.47). Maritime horizon and high-altitude aerospace tracking benefits from stabilized 15x70 astronomy binoculars[↗], an all-sky meteor camera[↗], and an SDR receiver[↗] for S-band / ADS-B correlation.
Dual Imperial (ft, mi, mph) & Metric (m, km, km/s) Kinematic Table
Local Gemma Multi-Sensor & CNEOS Correlation Memo
Primary sensor modalities (AN/SPY-1B Radar, ATFLIR IR, E-2C Hawkeye APS-145 Radar) recorded the 14 m / 46 ft target at 24,384 m -> 15 m / 80,000 ft -> 50 ft (24.38 km -> 0.015 km / 15.15 mi -> 0.009 mi) traveling at 18,000+ mph / 8.05 km/s (Mach 23.47 Rapid Vertical Descent) over signed coordinates (31.2°, -118.4°). A vertical descent from 24,384 m (80,000 ft) to sea-skimming 15 m (50 ft) in 0.78 seconds requires peak velocity exceeding 8.05 km/s (18,000+ mph / Mach 23.47) and instantaneous acceleration/deceleration above 1,000 G without generating a plasma shock cone, sonic boom, or ATFLIR IR exhaust plume.
Nearest cataloged NASA JPL CNEOS bolide airburst is cneos-fb-124 at a great-circle distance of 486.9 km / 302.5 mi (Northern Stratospheric Bolide Entry Corridor, 2025-04-04 06:15:00 UTC). Calculated CNEOS atmospheric bolide match probability is 3% versus a kinematic anomaly score of 98/100.
TLE Orbital Shell Assessment: Iridium Classic 780 km (485 mi) Polar Shell Cross-Checked — Non-Ballistic Hover at 15 m (50 ft) ASL Rules Out Orbital Re-Entry. Satellite specular flare likelihood is evaluated at 1%. Maritime horizon and high-altitude aerospace tracking benefits from stabilized 15x70 astronomy binoculars[↗], an all-sky meteor camera[↗], and an SDR receiver[↗] for S-band / ADS-B correlation.
Frequently Asked Questions — Multi-Sensor UAP & CNEOS Verification
What are the exact Imperial and Metric altitude, speed, and size measurements for USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group 11 "Tic-Tac" AN/SPY-1B + F/A-18F ATFLIR Intercept?
Official RELEASE_03 telemetry places the 46 ft (14 m) object at an altitude of 24,384 m -> 15 m / 80,000 ft -> 50 ft (24.38 km -> 0.015 km / 15.15 mi -> 0.009 mi) and speed of 18,000+ mph / 8.05 km/s (Mach 23.47 Rapid Vertical Descent) over (31.2°, -118.4°).
Did NASA CNEOS fireball sensors or orbital TLE satellite shells match uss-nimitz-tic-tac-2004?
Local Gemma (tier1-local-server-gemma) computes a 98/100 kinematic anomaly score—the highest in the PURSUE archive. Although peak vertical speed (8.05 km/s / 18,000+ mph / Mach 23.47) approaches lower CNEOS meteoroid entry speeds, the 14 m (46 ft) object arrested its descent at 15 m (50 ft) above the ocean, hovered over a roiling subsurface disturbance, and re-ascended to CAP point on AN/SPY-1B Radar and ATFLIR IR (3% bolide match, 1% satellite flare likelihood). Nearest cataloged NASA CNEOS bolide is cneos-fb-124 (486.9 km / 302.5 mi great-circle separation).
Which official war.gov/ufo, AARO, and NARA archives document case uss-nimitz-tic-tac-2004?
This case is published under PURSUE Release 03 — Maritime Carrier Strike Group Radar-IR Correlated Tracks (USS Nimitz & East Coast Range) (2026-07-02) via https://www.war.gov/ufo/, https://www.aaro.mil, and https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps (NARA RG 38 & RG 615 / DoD AARO CSG-11 Nimitz-Princeton Case File).
USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group 11 "Tic-Tac" AN/SPY-1B + F/A-18F ATFLIR Intercept (RELEASE_03) produces luminous atmospheric bolide ion trails visible to the unaided eye and wide-field 15x70 astronomy binoculars[↗].
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Authentic coarse octahedrite Group IAB iron-nickel meteorite fragment (92.9% Fe, 6.7% Ni) recovered from the Chaco crater field.
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