Kevin Day
Kevin Day is a retired United States Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer whose career has become forever linked with one of the most extraordinary modern mysteries in aviation history: the USS Nimitz “Tic-Tac” encounters.
Naval Career & Expertise
Day’s Navy career spanned over 20 years, during which he served as a TOPGUN Air Intercept Controller and an expert operator of the cutting-edge SPY-1 radar system. His skill and precision in Strike Group air defense operations were honed through both training and wartime deployments. Over the years, he logged hundreds of air-to-air intercepts of suspect aircraft, protecting U.S. and allied forces with calm professionalism.
His postings included tours aboard several AEGIS-equipped warships, among them the USS Vincennes, USS Chosin, and most famously, the USS Princeton. In each assignment, Day’s reputation as a dependable radar specialist and tactical thinker solidified his role as one of the Navy’s most trusted Combat Information Center (CIC) operators.
The 2004 Nimitz Encounters
It was in November 2004, while serving aboard the USS Princeton during training exercises with the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group off the coast of Southern California, that Day found himself at the center of an incident that would change his life.
Monitoring the SPY-1 radar, he and his team began tracking fleets of anomalous aerial contacts — objects that demonstrated flight capabilities far beyond known aircraft. Concerned by the persistent and unexplained nature of the radar returns, Day made the decision to direct fighter pilots to intercept. Among them was Commander David Fravor, who would later describe the famous “Tic-Tac” object — a craft that seemed to defy the laws of aerodynamics.
The subsequent infrared footage captured by Navy pilots was eventually leaked and then formally released in December 2017, sparking global headlines. Two years later, on September 17, 2019, the U.S. Navy officially acknowledged that the videos were of “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAP). The acknowledgement, along with subsequent updates to Navy reporting protocols, marked a turning point in how the U.S. military approaches such encounters.
Civilian Efforts & UAP Research
Since retiring, Kevin Day has continued to pursue answers to the questions raised in 2004. He is the founder of UAP eXpeditions, a non-profit collective that brings together former military officers, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, university researchers, and scientists. Their mission is clear: to provide a public service by testing and deploying new technologies aimed at detecting, tracking, and documenting UAP in the field.
With the help of high-tech equipment and forward-thinking innovators, UAP eXpeditions represents a new chapter in civilian-led inquiry — one that seeks to bridge the gap between government silence and public curiosity. Day’s vision is not only to document phenomena, but also to remove the stigma surrounding the subject, encouraging open scientific investigation.
Legacy
Kevin Day’s journey from radar operator to public advocate for transparency underscores the importance of duty, courage, and curiosity. His willingness to act on unusual radar contacts in 2004 placed him at the very heart of a historical turning point in the UFO/UAP debate. Today, through his leadership and persistence, he continues to help push the discussion into the mainstream, challenging both scientists and the public to ask deeper questions about the unknown.