  The Gimbal video is a well-known footage of unidentified anomalous phenomena
(UAP). Recorded in January 2015 off the coast of Florida by a U.S. Navy F/A-18F
Super Hornet's targeting pod, the video shows an infrared-significant object
skimming over clouds. Towards the end of the 34-second clip, the object appears
to stop and rotate in mid-air. Naval aviators who participated in the event
indicate that: (1) The UAP was within 10 nautical miles of the F/A-18F, (2)
that, from the perspective of the aircrew's top-down radar display, it was seen
to stop and reverse direction with no radius of turn, and (3) that the UAP was
accompanied by a formation of 4-6 other unknown objects. Using data from the
ATFLIR video, it is possible to reconstruct potential flight paths for the
object as a function of distance. We show that, at the range provided by the
aviators, potential flight paths align with eyewitness accounts: The object
decelerates from a few hundred knots before rapidly reversing direction in a
vertical U-turn. Such a maneuver would have been observed on the overhead radar
display as an abrupt reversal of direction with no radius of turn. The highly
anomalous flight path found at the range provided by the aircrew, along with
the remarkable match between the reconstructed flight path, eyewitness
recollections, and the object's rotation, raises intriguing questions about the
nature of the object. This is especially the case because, at this distance, no
wings or infrared signatures consistent with conventional means of propulsion
are visible. An alternative hypothesis, which proposes that Gimbal shows
infrared glare from the exhaust of a conventional jet aircraft viewed
approximately tail-on 30 nautical miles from the F/A-18F, is also discussed.
Our goal is to provide an overview of analyses of the Gimbal encounter, and
encourage aeronautics professionals to share their expertise.
