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- The main thing on skeet: The Pentagon did not disclose key data about UFOs for fear of "exposing" technology
The main thing on skeet: The Pentagon did not disclose key data about UFOs for fear of "exposing" technology
The US authorities have not disclosed significant data on unidentified flying objects, because the most valuable observations could have been obtained using advanced technologies, which the Pentagon seeks to keep secret. Avi Loeb, the world's leading expert in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, told Izvestia about this. On May 8, by decision of Donald Trump, the first package of documents of the special services about UFOs was made public. But the scientists did not find anything important in them. According to the astrophysicist, the most interesting information can be revealed later. He also called on scientists from all over the world to share information and jointly search for extraterrestrial civilizations. According to Russian researchers, Russia and the United States have something to offer each other, but now such projects largely depend on politics.
The X-files are about nothing
The delay in publishing the highest quality data is probably related to national security issues and various levels of secrecy. Avi Loeb, a professor at Harvard University, one of the world's leading experts in the search for extraterrestrial civilizations, told Izvestia about this. In his opinion, the most up-to-date materials were obtained using advanced technologies that the United States does not want to disclose to other states. Therefore, older and less high-quality information is most likely published first.
On May 8, the Pentagon released the first data package on unidentified objects. President Donald Trump promised to declassify these materials. A total of 161 recordings were made public, including 28 videos and 14 photographs. Among them are reports from astronauts on space missions in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as evidence of some floating objects recorded in the fall of 2023.
"It was an honor for me to instruct my administration to identify and provide government files that relate to aliens, extraterrestrial life and UFOs," Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Avi Loeb's research team studied these materials and came to the conclusion that none of the objects indicated any exotic origin. Important details in the videos were hidden or edited, and unusual images can be explained either by glare in the optics of the cameras, or by the fact that they were created by man.
— We must remain open to new data. If the U.S. government has really been collecting information about rare objects of scientific interest for decades, I would really like to see these materials. The publication on May 8, 2026 is only the first stage of future disclosures. New data will be released in the coming weeks and months, and, in my opinion, the most interesting things are yet to come. Higher-quality materials require more time for declassification. They need to be studied carefully and try to understand exactly what they mean. I am glad that this process has finally begun," the scientist said.
Cooperation in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
However, according to military expert Dmitry Korenev, it is unlikely that the United States armed forces and special services have a separate UFO surveillance and monitoring program.
— Most likely, we are talking about the systematic collection of the most complete information about such phenomena. For the data to be reliable, it must be properly documented. Probably, there are instructions for military personnel regulating actions when detecting unidentified objects: what exactly to record, what parameters to record, what to pay attention to, and how to make a final report," the expert noted.
According to him, first of all, unusual phenomena can be detected by air space radar monitoring systems, of which there are a large number in the United States. Therefore, radar station personnel are probably one of the first to receive such instructions. In addition, such recommendations can be distributed to pilots, airfield personnel and naval forces, where not only instrumental but also visual surveillance plays an important role.
— Probably, there is a certain department in the USA that is engaged in the primary analysis of such data: collects them, systematizes and classifies them, — he noted. — Most likely, scientists are working there, not the military. They are the ones who receive information that is considered reliable enough.
In turn, Alexander Panov, a leading researcher at the Skobeltsyn Research Institute of Nuclear Physics at Moscow State University, believes that truly sensational UFO data is unlikely to appear in the next publications of the American special services.
— It is unlikely that the military has really valuable information, since specialized tools are required to obtain it. And the existing technologies are mainly designed to track man—made objects," the scientist noted.
As Avi Loeb points out, science by its very nature remains an international field, so researchers from different countries, including Russia, need to exchange information. In his opinion, the search for extraterrestrial technological objects should eventually become one of the key areas of modern astronomy.
Cooperation between Russia and the United States in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence would be useful in principle, although today it is extremely difficult politically. Any major interaction in space has not only scientific and technical, but also symbolic significance, says Peter Punchenko, senior lecturer at St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, adviser to the chairman of the Committee on External Relations of the city government.
"Previously, such a search was most often associated with radio signals, but today the toolkit has become broader: scientists are discussing and using the search for optical and laser pulses, observations in the infrared range, analysis of narrow—band and repetitive radio signals, as well as the search for so—called technosignatures — possible traces of artificial activity in space," he said.
Such research is actually at the intersection of astrophysics, radio astronomy, radar, data analysis, space monitoring, and airspace security. They are expensive, technologically complex, and require comparison of data from different regions and different ranges of observations. No country alone can completely close all areas of the sky, all types of signals and all possible registration channels. Therefore, international cooperation here is objectively beneficial to all participants, the expert is sure.
For Russia, participation in such projects could also be useful because we have serious competencies in radio astronomy, neutrino physics, space science and data processing. But cooperation with the United States in this area is possible only if there is political will and guarantees that scientific exchange will not be turned into an instrument of unilateral restrictions. Otherwise, even the most beautiful idea of a universal search will quickly run into sanctions, export controls, data privacy and distrust between the parties, the expert emphasized.
According to Alexander Panov, our country also has its own astronomical instruments, the data from which would be valuable for foreign scientists in terms of searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. For example, the MASTER robot telescope network, which is used to study various astrophysical phenomena and can register unidentified objects in space. But how cooperation with the United States in this area will be built will depend, among other things, on the political situation.
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