USS Theodore Roosevelt Persian Gulf 2014

Beginning in early 2014, F/A-18 Super Hornet pilots assigned to Carrier Air Wing One aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), operating in the Persian Gulf during Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS, began reporting encounters with small spherical objects in their combat operating airspace. The encounters were initially dismissed as potential adversary drones given the active combat environment. However, as encounters multiplied and the objects demonstrated performance characteristics — hovering at 25,000 feet, making instantaneous accelerations, and withstanding attempted radar lock — that exceeded any known drone capability, the encounters were escalated up the chain of command. The Roosevelt's CIC and the Strike Force operations teams began documenting the contacts systematically. These Gulf encounters would continue and intensify as the Roosevelt transitioned to Atlantic operations in late 2014–2015, where the encounters became more frequent and dramatic — ultimately producing the Gimbal, Gofast, and other classified encounters that Lieutenant Commander Alex Dietrich and Commander David Fravor would eventually describe publicly.