Brief
F/A-18F Super Hornet
The claims the writer was given for F/A-18F Super Hornet, in the order they were given.
1
The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) collected video and audio recordings of reported UFO incidents, including footage from a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet showing an aircraft surrounded by some kind of glowing aura travelling at high speed and rotating as it moves.
“The program collected video and audio recordings of reported U.F.O. incidents, including footage from a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet showing an aircraft surrounded by some kind of glowing aura traveling at high speed and rotating as it moves.”
Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program 2017-12-16 char:10275-10507 observation
2
Defense officials declined to release the location and date of the incident showing a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet encounter with an object surrounded by a glowing aura.
“Defense officials declined to release the location and date of the incident.”
Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program 2017-12-16 char:10633-10700 administrative
3
In August 2017 the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) released a video of a whitish oval object, about the size of a commercial plane, chased by two Navy F/A-18F fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off the coast of San Diego in 2004.
“including one released in August of a whitish oval object, about the size of a commercial plane, chased by two Navy F/A-18F fighter jets from the aircraft carrier Nimitz off the coast of San Diego in 2004.”
Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program 2017-12-16 char:2946-3146 observation
4
An F/A-18F Super Hornet performs a split-S vertical displacement manoeuvre, rolling inverted and descending in a C-shape, in approximately 760 metres.
“a Super Hornet to do what a split S is... it does it in about roughly about 2,500 feet, give or take a little.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:05:35.0-00:06:15.0 measurement first hand
5
The F/A-18F Super Hornet is a two-seat aircraft used more for electronic attack and full-up fighter-bomber roles.
“the F-18F Super Hornet, which is the F is a two seater and the G is also a two seater, but it's more of an electronic attack by say, full up fighter, bomber”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:21:35.0-00:21:43.3 observation first hand
6
After 2001, David Fravor shifted to flying F/A-18F Super Hornets.
“And then I shifted over and started flying the Super Hornets”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:22:07.7-00:22:09.7 testimony first hand
7
David Fravor flew the two-seat variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet when he had command of Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41).
“But I deployed, when I had command of VFA-41, I had the two-seat.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:22:12.0-00:22:16.1 testimony first hand
8
The introduction of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, which carries a weapon systems operator in the back seat, created some friction at USA, California, Lemoore.
“he really wanted, because he knew there was a little bit of a problem when the Super Hornets came into Lemoore... And now all of a sudden, you've got the F-18F coming in, which has the weapon systems operators in the back.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:23:02.4-00:23:20.1 observation first hand
9
Weapon systems operators in the F/A-18F Super Hornet are not pilots and are a distinct role from pilots.
“that are not pilots, they're weapon systems operators, and there's a difference.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:23:21.1-00:23:23.8 observation first hand
10
In the F/A-18F Super Hornet, the weapon systems operator in the back seat handles most of the aircraft's radio communications.
“most of the communications that go out of the airplane, the Wizzo does all the talking, he's got actually, he uses his feet.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:33:13.3-00:33:18.1 observation first hand
11
The F/A-18F Super Hornet has a situational awareness display linked to all other aircraft in the network.
“we have a situational awareness display and it's linked to all the other airplanes.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:33:25.8-00:33:29.4 observation first hand
12
The block two variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet has a display for the weapon systems operator measuring approximately 20 by 25 centimetres, while the pilot's display is smaller, at approximately 15 by 15 centimetres.
“the back of the Super Hornet has, well, the block twos has about an eight by 10 display for the wizos... the pilots is smaller. It's down between us. It's a six by six”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:33:36.9-00:33:45.5 measurement first hand
13
Boeing was planning to redesign the pilot's display in the F/A-18F Super Hornet.
“they're, they're getting ready to redesign that Boeing is.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:33:46.6-00:33:49.3 observation first hand
14
The F/A-18F Super Hornet's networked digital link fuses sensor data across multiple aircraft, showing crews the positions of friendly and enemy aircraft in real time.
“It's sending it out through the link, so all the airplanes are talking to each other through this digital network... that airplane says hey i'm over here and it tells us and we go oh he's right there”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:34:32.8-00:34:42.4 observation first hand
15
The automation in the F/A-18F Super Hornet's flight controls is a control loop enabled by digital flight controls, designed to make the aircraft easier to fly.
“The AI piece would be more of a control loop because of the digital flight controls. So the airplane actually, they had to make the airplane easier to fly.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:35:27.5-00:35:35.3 opinion first hand
16
In the F/A-18F Super Hornet, a joint helmet-mounted cueing system maps the magnetic field in the cockpit to track where the pilot's head is looking.
“you've got a joint helmet mounted queuing system on that basically maps the magnetic field in the cockpit so it can tell where your head's at looking.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:36:00.0-00:36:05.9 observation first hand
17
In the F/A-18F Super Hornet, turning the pilot's head slews the radar and targeting pod to look in the same direction.
“So if I turn my head to the right, the radar will actually look to the right, the targeting flare will look to the right.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:36:06.9-00:36:11.0 observation first hand
18
In the F/A-18F Super Hornet, the back-seat weapon systems operator also wears a helmet that can independently slew whichever sensor he is controlling.
“the back seater has a helmet on too, so he can look to the left and he can do things. So depending on what sensor he's controlling. So if he's got control of the targeting pod and he looks left, the targeting pod looks left.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:36:13.0-00:36:23.7 observation first hand
19
The F/A-18F Super Hornet has a phased-array radar that does not need to mechanically scan.
“because it's a phased array radar now, it doesn't really scan.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:36:30.6-00:36:33.4 observation first hand
20
Using the helmet-cueing system and JDAM in the F/A-18F Super Hornet, David Fravor can slew sensors and transfer targeting coordinates to weapons within seconds, compared to a process that used to take minutes.
“i can literally slew my sensors this fast, and then mash a button and transfer high-quality coordinates from a system into a joint JDAM... and then let that thing fly. And I'm solving this problem in seconds, vise minutes.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:36:53.9-00:37:10.1 opinion first hand
21
David Fravor observed that the digital flight control logic in modern aircraft is extremely forgiving, allowing manoeuvres that surprise even the pilot flying the aircraft.
“especially since the flight control logic in modern airplanes with digital flight controls, they're extremely forgiving. So you can literally, I've done things in Super Hornets that literally even as a pilot inside the airplane, you're just like, wow, I cannot believe it just did that.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:39:48.4-00:40:05.1 observation first hand
22
David Fravor states that the F/A-18F Super Hornet is rated for 7.5 G but will not overstress until 8.1 G, depending on fuel weight.
“the jet's rated at seven and a half, but it'll pull up to 8.1 before it overstresses, depends on fuel weight.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:54:14.2-00:54:18.8 measurement first hand
23
David Fravor states that in the F/A-18F Super Hornet he routinely experienced accelerations of around 8 G.
“So, I mean, you routinely get up there towards eight G's.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:54:19.8-00:54:21.8 measurement first hand
24
After completing his first Super Hornet cruise, David Fravor visited the Boeing factory in St. Louis, Missouri, where his squadron's new F/A-18F Super Hornets were being built.
“We had went to the Boeing factory in St. Louis, where they were building my new jets that I was going to get.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:54:52.2-00:54:56.2 testimony first hand
25
David Fravor signed the inside of the wing of one of his new F/A-18F Super Hornets while it was being assembled at the Boeing factory.
“And I actually signed the inside of one of the wings while they were putting it together.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:54:56.3-00:54:59.6 testimony first hand
26
David Fravor has friends whose children are now flying F/A-18F Super Hornets in the United States Navy.
“Like currently, I have friends of mine that we serve together. Their kids are flying super hornets, right?”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 00:55:40.9-00:55:47.8 testimony first hand
27
At Mach 1.78 in an F/A-18F Super Hornet with no ejection seat safety margin, David Fravor realised he would not be able to eject if something went wrong, as the ejection itself would kill him at that speed.
“there's no out if something happens i can't eject the ejection would kill me”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 01:08:07.3-01:08:11.5 observation first hand
28
The Super Hornet flown by David Fravor during his Mach 1.78 flight was unarmed, with no external pylons or pods.
“the airplane didn't have anything on it. It was a slicked-off Super Hornet, so it was basically just the airplane. No pylons, no pods, no nothing.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 01:08:41.3-01:08:46.3 testimony first hand
29
The F/A-18F Super Hornet does not have functioning speed brakes at high supersonic speed, because the flight controls deform and the speed brakes cease to function.
“the super horn, it really doesn't have speed brakes. It, it deforms the flight controls. they don't function”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 01:08:58.9-01:09:04.1 observation first hand
30
During the 2004 USS Nimitz UFO incident, David Fravor and three other crew members flew two F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, two people in each jet, when their training mission was cancelled.
“So originally it was the four of us. There's two jets, two people in each jet. They're F-18Fs.”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 01:15:07.6-01:15:11.9 testimony first hand
31
Legacy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft carry less fuel than F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft.
“the little hornets the legacy hornets f-18s don't have as much gas as the super hornets”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 01:27:25.5-01:27:29.9 testimony first hand
32
The aircraft involved in filming the Gimbal video were F/A-18F Super Hornets equipped with the AN/APG-79 phased array radar made by Raytheon.
“the airplanes they're flying, still Super Hornets, but they have the APG-79, which is the new phased array radar that's made by Raytheon”
David Fravor: UFOs, Aliens, Fighter Jets, and Aerospace Engineering | Lex Fridman Podcast #122 2020-09-08 02:44:59.2-02:45:05.2 testimony first hand
33
In 2014, Ryan Graves was an F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot in Navy Fighter Attack Squadron 11 (the Red Rippers), stationed at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach.
“In 2014, I was an F–18 Foxtrot pilot in the Navy Fighter Attack Squadron 11, the Red Rippers, and I was stationed at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach.”
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency 2023-07-26 char:33046-33186 testimony first hand
34
During a training mission in Warning Area W-72, approximately 16 kilometres off the coast of Virginia Beach, two F/A-18F Super Hornets were split apart by a UAP.
“During a training mission in Warning Area W–72, 10 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, two F–18 Super Hornets were split by a UAP.”
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency 2023-07-26 char:33491-33620 observation first hand
35
The mission commander terminated the training flight immediately and returned to base after the UAP encounter that split the two F/A-18F Super Hornets.
“The mission commander terminated the flight immediately and returned to base.”
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency 2023-07-26 char:33799-33871 observation first hand
36
David Fravor's aircraft was an F/A-18F Super Hornet carrying pilots and Weapon Systems Officers (WSO) in the backseat.
“we were an F–18F so we had pilots and WSO in the backseat”
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency 2023-07-26 char:41667-41716 administrative first hand