Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232)

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232) is a United States Marine Corps strike fighter squadron. During the 2004 USS Nimitz UAP encounter, it was one of the squadrons embarked in Carrier Air Wing 11 (CVW-11) aboard USS Nimitz (CVN-68), flying the F/A-18C.¹ According to the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11) AAV Incident Report, the only units named as participants in the detection and intercept of the Anomalous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) were USS Princeton (CG-59), Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 117 (VAW-117), VMFA-232, and Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41).² The wider air wing also included Strike Fighter Squadron 14 (VFA-14) flying the F/A-18E, Strike Fighter Squadron 94 (VFA-94) flying the F/A-18C, Electronic Attack Squadron 135 (VAQ-135) flying the EA-6B, VAW-117 flying the E-2C Hawkeye, Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 6 (Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 6 (HS-6)) flying the H-60, and Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Detachment 3 (VRC-30 Det 3) flying the C-2A.¹

VMFA-232’s Commanding Officer provided a statement on the events of 2004-11-14.³ He launched from Nimitz at approximately 1030 local time flying a single-seat F/A-18C to conduct a Functional Check Flight of an aircraft that had recently undergone significant maintenance,⁴ recalling the weather that day as blue skies, no clouds, and unlimited visibility.⁵ Around 30 minutes into the flight he received a radio call from his air controller asking him to investigate an unidentified airborne contact, which he noted was not a standard request.⁶ According to the incident report, the controller also asked whether he had ordnance onboard, a question the pilot considered odd since no controller had ever asked it of him before during identification of an unknown contact over US or international territory.⁷ He had no ordnance aboard his aircraft.⁸

En route at approximately 460 kilometres per hour indicated and between roughly 4,600 and 7,600 metres altitude, he gained radar contact of what he believed to be two F/A-18Fs approaching the AAV from the west at low altitude, between approximately 150 and 1,500 metres,⁹ and observed no other traffic on his radar besides them.¹⁰ His controller instructed him to remain above approximately 3,000 metres owing to other fighter traffic investigating the AAV at low altitude.¹¹ As he descended through approximately 4,600 metres roughly 28 kilometres from the AAV, he saw a water disturbance on the ocean surface,¹² recalling the sea state as low and calm at the time.¹³ At around 9 to 19 kilometres from the AAV the controller told him to “skip it” and return to his operating area,¹⁴ but since he was already close he elected to fly over the disturbance to see what was causing it.¹⁵ He judged it approximately 50 to 100 metres in diameter and close to round.¹⁶

According to the incident report, he considered the disturbance the only area of whitewater activity visible, and it reminded him of images of something rapidly submerging from the surface, like a submarine or ship sinking.¹⁷ He also considered that it could resemble shoal water where the swell was breaking over a barely submerged reef or island.¹⁸ After overflying the disturbance he turned back to the northwest and observed it clearing, no longer identifiable.¹⁹ He did not see any object or vessel associated with it above, on, or below the surface,²⁰ and never made visual contact with either the other fighter aircraft vectored to the location or the AAV itself.²¹ Per the report, he considered it possible that the disturbance was caused by an AAV that was “cloaked” or invisible to the human eye.²²

He recovered aboard Nimitz at approximately 1200 local time.²³ Afterwards he reported to the Carrier Intelligence Center (CVIC), where his Intelligence Officer asked him whether he had seen the “supersonic Tic Tac”.²⁴ Separately, in testimony to the House Oversight Committee, David Fravor stated that VMFA-232 flew the Red Air role during the training exercise associated with the encounter.²⁵