How fast do UFOs go? Scientists have given clues

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are real and we now know how fast they go.

After the Pentagon released an unprecedented report on UFOs, scientists have calculated whether 'modern technology' can explain these mysterious phenomena.

Whether they originate from outer space or not, UFOs are still appearing in the skies, and the U.S. government has acknowledged it. On June 25, the Pentagon released the results of its investigation into more than 100 unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs)—the military's way of saying UFOs. Many of the UFO sightings by U.S. soldiers have been leaked and posted online over the years.

Scientists have come up with a model to calculate the speed of UFOs. (Photo: Handout).

One such incident occurred in broad daylight in 2016 and was only confirmed by the Pentagon last year. Video emerged showing US Navy pilots chasing an 'unknown aircraft' off the east coast of the US. One pilot exclaimed: 'What the hell is that?'.

UFOs appear to be quite striking due to their strange shape, 'surrounding light' and movement that seems to go against the laws of physics.

Chad Underwood, the pilot who recorded the UFO encounter from a Navy F-18, called the UFO a 'Tic Tac.' He said he had never seen anything like it in his life.

In 2019, the pilot told New York magazine: 'It moves in ways that are not physically normal. That's what fascinated me. Aircraft, whether piloted or unmanned, still follow the laws of physics, they need some kind of propulsion, some kind of jet source.' According to Underwood, UFOs don't follow the laws of physics. It went from thousands of feet to a few hundred feet 'in a matter of seconds'.

In order to better understand these objects, a team of scientists have designed a tool to calculate their velocity. The tool, called the ' UFO Velocity Calculator ', helps calculate the velocity of UFOs by applying engineering and aeronautical principles. However, mechanical engineer Rahul Singh Dgari says that with our current technology, it is impossible to reproduce all the characteristics of UFOs.

But this does not mean that UFOs are extraterrestrial in origin; after all, the Pentagon report did find at least one UFO encounter that could be explained – it was a balloon.

UFO shapes and the engines they use (assumed) according to Dhari's project. (Photo: Express).

Dr Dhari believes that UFOs are a serious issue, if viewed through the lens of science and engineering. He said : 'This calculator will look at UFOs as high-tech flying objects and look at them from an engineering perspective. Like our modern aircraft, I have tried to design them from many variables. Based on those parameters, we try to estimate their velocity.'

Using this tool, one can learn the characteristics of certain types of UFOs or the engines they use (all of which are hypothetical, based on calculations of models built by scientists), such as the RD-0146 rocket engine.

For example, the UFO shaped like a flying saucer is estimated to weigh more than 21,320 kg and has a diameter of 13.6 m. Equipped with a single engine of unknown origin, this UFO model can reach speeds of up to nearly 19,000 km/h. At such a speed, it can fly from London (UK) to San Francisco (USA) in just 27 minutes.

For comparison, it takes a typical passenger plane 11 hours to make that journey.

Another example, a triangular UFO equipped with a mysterious engine, estimated to have a maximum speed of 8,362 km/h, flew from London to San Francisco in 1 hour - saving 91% of the flight time compared to a conventional plane.

Dr. Dhari built the UFO velocity calculator with his colleague, mathematician Dr. Anna Sczepanek.

The thing to note about this project is that it cannot replicate the mysterious UFOs and their propulsion systems, due to technological issues. He said: 'I think the cost of developing and building them is very expensive, because there is a lot of technology involved, from structural safety to propulsion – especially from the flying side: Imagine if you were in a Concorde but flying much faster.'

'The environmental impact also needs to be assessed: the climate crisis has become a big factor for any project like this,' said Mr Dhari.