Commander Chad Underwood, the naval aviator who recorded the now-infamous “Tic Tac” footage during the 2004 USS Nimitz encounter, has provided additional testimony describing radar indications he interpreted as active electronic jamming. Speaking on Episode 27 of Jeremy Corbell’s Weaponized podcast, Underwood — a trained Naval Flight Officer with direct experience operating the AN/APG-73 radar system — characterizes what he observed in technical terms that carry real professional weight. His account is not that of a casual witness; it is the firsthand recollection of a combat-trained aviator describing anomalous behavior within sensor systems he knew intimately.
The significance of Underwood’s jamming interpretation should not be understated, nor should it be overstated. Active jamming implies intentionality — a system or craft capable of detecting and deliberately disrupting incoming radar emissions. That is a remarkable claim, and Underwood himself frames it as an interpretation of observed instrumentation behavior, not a confirmed conclusion. The distinction matters. What he experienced is part of the formal evidentiary record surrounding the Nimitz incident, and it adds a meaningful layer to an encounter that has already been acknowledged by the U.S. Department of Defense as genuine.
What remains conspicuously absent is the complete sensor data package from that engagement. The full radar returns, electronic warfare logs, and instrumentation records would allow independent analysts to either corroborate or challenge Underwood’s interpretation through rigorous technical review. That data has not been made available to the public or, as far as is known, to any authorized independent scientific body. Without it, Underwood’s testimony stands as credible and significant — but unverifiable by any external standard.
If a craft encountered by U.S. Navy personnel in 2004 was actively jamming military radar systems, what does the two-decade silence from relevant defense and intelligence agencies tell us about what was actually concluded at the time?
Source: Jeremy Corbell