UFOs and The Military: A Combat Pilot’s Experience with The Unknown
UFOs and The Military: A Combat Pilot’s Experience with the Unknown
June 30, 2025 | Defense & Aerospace News
Byline: Kimmo Mkom
In a striking revelation that adds to growing concerns and curiosity surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), a former U.S. Air Force combat pilot has come forward with his harrowing experience of encountering what he describes as “a technological force beyond anything we know.”
Retired Lt. Commander James “Hawk” Halpern, a decorated F-18 Super Hornet pilot with over 2,000 hours of flight time, has detailed a mid-air encounter that occurred in 2017 off the coast of California. Speaking at a recent veterans’ conference in Arlington, Virginia, Halpern described how during a routine training operation, his squadron’s radar picked up multiple fast-moving targets at altitudes and speeds considered impossible for any known aircraft.
“We were flying in formation when our systems detected objects accelerating from 80,000 feet to sea level in under two seconds. Then they hovered motionless,” Halpern recalled. “We were trained to face enemy aircraft, missiles, even SAM threats — but nothing prepared us for this.”
His jet’s infrared targeting pod managed to lock onto one of the objects briefly, capturing footage that showed no traditional propulsion systems, wings, or heat signatures. Halpern emphasized that the objects performed maneuvers that defied the laws of physics as understood by current aviation science.
The U.S. Department of Defense has neither confirmed nor denied the specifics of Halpern’s report but acknowledged in 2021 the existence of a UAP Task Force, now part of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which continues to investigate similar encounters.
Military analysts suggest Halpern’s account aligns with other testimonies from Navy pilots who witnessed the so-called “Tic Tac” UFO incident in 2004. The Pentagon has declassified multiple videos showing such objects, yet has offered no definitive explanations.
“We’re not alone in the skies,” Halpern concluded. “Whatever these things are, they have an interest in our military activity — and they’re not following any known rules of engagement.”
As pressure mounts on the U.S. government to release more data, combat pilots like Halpern are stepping into the spotlight, urging greater transparency on what many now believe is no longer just science fiction.
Follow for updates as Congress continues hearings on UAPs, with more pilots and intelligence officials scheduled to testify later this year.