A former US Navy pilot who claims to have skilled UFOs "first-hand" has accused his nation's authorities of downplaying the menace they pose.

Ryan Graves stated the variety of unidentified flying objects, or UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena), was being "grossly underreported" and was an "urgent" concern.

"Military air crew and commercial pilots are frequently witnessing these phenomenons," he advised a committee listening to.

"The stigma is real and powerful and challenges national security."

Mr Graves was giving proof at a session held by the House Oversight Subcommittee, which covers US nationwide safety and international affairs.

The listening to - the primary of its sort - was introduced final week amid elevated consideration on reported UFO sightings.

The committee's Republican chairman Glenn Grothman opened the session by saying a "lack of transparency" had fuelled "wild speculation" that had eroded "public trust" in authorities establishments.

Democrat member Robert Garcia stated tales of UFOs and UAPs "warrant investigation and oversight".

Mr Graves stated he first started detecting "unknown objects" in US airspace in 2014, whereas stationed at Virginia Beach.

He stated throughout a coaching mission 10 miles off the coast, two plane acquired "split" by a UAP described as a "dark grey or black cube inside a clear sphere".

Despite elevating security considerations, no official log of the incident was made, he claimed.

He stated such "excessive classification practices" over many years had been protecting "crucial information hidden".

"If they are foreign drones, it is an urgent national security problem," he stated.

"If it is something else, it's an issue for science. In either case, they are an issue for flight safety."

A report from the Pentagon in 2021 discovered no proof linking UAPs to extraterrestrials, with many of the sightings believed to be drones or balloons.

An instance from this 12 months was a Chinese "spy balloon" that was shot down over US airspace.

Mr Graves was one in all three males referred to as to provide proof on Wednesday.

The different two had been ex-Navy commander David Fravor and former intelligence official David Grusch.

Mr Fravor has additionally stated to have seen UAPs, whereas Mr Grusch has claimed the US has retrieved "intact and partially intact" automobiles of nonhuman origin.

Mr Grusch advised the listening to he turned a whistleblower after receiving reviews from "esteemed" present and former navy officers that the US authorities was hiding details about UAPs.

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Joe Biden's administration has confronted calls to declassify paperwork associated to UFOs, and this month the Senate launched an modification to annual defence coverage laws that seeks to just do that.

Interest has been so been excessive that NASA held its first public meeting on the issue earlier this 12 months.

A panel of scientists and retired astronauts stated there had been a spike in sightings, although solely a small fraction contained indicators which may very well be deemed "anomalous".

The US area company began referring to UFOs as UAPs due to how the time period is utilized in popular culture.

Dr Daniel Evans, NASA's assistant deputy affiliate administrator for analysis, advised the assembly in May that the company's most popular acronym mirrored the subject was "serious business".