The 2019 USS Omaha UAP Swarm: Declassified Naval Logs and Sensor Data

Incident Context

In July 2019, a series of UAP encounters occurred within the Southern California Operating Area involving the USS Omaha, USS Kidd, and other ships in a Navy strike group. The events were captured on various sensor systems, including Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) cameras and Aegis radar. Unlike traditional drone incursions, these objects displayed 'trans-medium' capabilities, moving seamlessly from the air into the ocean.

The USS Omaha Video

A specific video, leaked in 2021 and subsequently confirmed as authentic by the Pentagon, shows a spherical object hovering above the water's surface near the USS Omaha. In the footage, the object slowly descends and disappears into the ocean. Sailors in the Combat Information Center (CIC) can be heard exclaiming, 'It splashed!' after the object submerged. Navy logs indicate that a submarine was dispatched to the area to search for wreckage, but no debris or craft were located.

Radar and Intelligence Analysis

Declassified documents obtained via FOIA by The Black Vault reveal that the 'swarms' involved up to 14 unidentified objects at once. These objects were tracked at speeds ranging from 138 knots to stationary hovers in high-wind conditions. The ships' deck logs recorded the encounters as 'Unmanned Aerial Systems' (UAS) incursions, yet the flight characteristics—such as the ability to hover for over 90 minutes and travel long distances from any known launch point—did not align with commercial or known foreign drone technology.

AARO and Congressional Testimony

The USS Omaha incident was highlighted during the May 2022 Congressional UAP hearings and is a focal point of AARO’s ongoing investigations into Trans-medium UAP. The Navy's reporting of the incident suggests a high degree of concern regarding the vulnerability of sensitive training ranges. In 2024, additional FOIA releases provided more granular detail on the radar tracks, confirming that the objects remained unidentified despite the presence of advanced electronic warfare and surveillance suites on the nearby destroyers. The case stands as one of the most well-documented modern examples of UAP interacting with U.S. naval assets.