The U.S. Navy is drawing up new guidelines for how to collect data on “unidentified aircraft” sightings, part of a branch-wide effort to formalize the process of accounting for unexplained encounters, Politico reports. The initiative, which will serve as a blueprint for pilots and other Navy personnel, comes after a number of strange sightings of unknown sophisticated aircraft. “There have been a number of reports of unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft entering various military-controlled ranges and designated air space in recent years,” the Navy told Politico in a statement. “For safety and security concerns, the Navy and the [U.S. Air Force] takes these reports very seriously and investigates each and every report...As part of this effort, the Navy is updating and formalizing the process by which reports of any such suspected incursions can be made to the cognizant authorities. A new message to the fleet that will detail the steps for reporting is in draft.”
