A retired US Navy pilot who made headlines last month for claiming to have spotted a 12m UFO off the coast of California, is adamant the hard-to-explain encounter was the real deal.

In an interview with the New York Times, Commander David Fravor and Lieutenant Commander Jim Slaight explained the footage released by the US defence department was taken during a routine training mission on November 14, 2004 near San Diego.

The pair told how they spotted a 12m long UFO accelerating at great speed, and tried to intercept it to get a better look.

Speaking to the Boston Globe this week, Commander Fravor said “I know what I saw.”

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