On October 29, 2023, a military aircraft crew was returning to base. Over the Aegean Sea, they spotted a small object flying just above the water's surface.
The object moved toward land, then disappeared from the image feed the crew was monitoring. It appeared round but was too small to discern details. The crew saw it only briefly and couldn't identify what it was.
Low Flight Over the Sea
This is how the encounter was described in a US military report. The crew spotted the object while returning to base, over the Aegean Sea. The report describes it as seemingly round and too small to see any markings or other details.
The object flew just above the water's surface, heading toward land. The crew tracked it via an image feed from the aircraft. The report does not describe any change in direction or maneuver: only its movement over the sea.
Footage Interrupted
After the object moved toward land, the crew lost it from the image feed. The report does not state where the crew saw it go next, or if they managed to find it again.
The crew estimated the object was moving at approximately 50 km/h (about 31 mph). This was an estimate, not a measurement. The report indicated that the crew assessed the object as not dangerous. No impact on personnel or equipment was noted, but the report does not explain why the crew reached this assessment.
What Remains Unknown
What the object was remains unknown, and the report offers no conventional explanation. Its shape and speed are described as the reporter's estimates at the time of the incident, not as facts established with certainty.
The object advanced over the water toward land. Then, the crew could only follow it via the image feed — until it, too, vanished.