A U.S. Air Force spy plane made a sudden 1,300-mile journey to a well-known UFO hotspot off the coast of North Carolina before turning around and heading straight back to base.
The aircraft in question? The Boeing E-3B Sentry—America’s airborne radar powerhouse. This isn’t some minor reconnaissance bird. This is the military’s eye in the sky, built to track and command air operations with pinpoint precision.
The Sentry launched from Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma around 7 a.m. and flew east toward North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound. Once there, it performed two tight circles over the water before returning home by 2 p.m. No official explanation has been provided for the unusual trip.
Pamlico Sound isn’t just any patch of water. It’s a known hotspot for strange, unexplained aerial phenomena. Locals and visitors have reported glowing orbs, pulsating lights, and even encounters with so-called “greys.”
Back in 2019, a man aboard a ferry captured video of 14 glowing orbs hovering eerily over the Sound. The footage has fueled speculation for years, and now, with this latest surveillance flight, the mystery only deepens.
The Air Force insists the Sentry is typically deployed for airborne surveillance, command, and control operations. Its massive 30-foot-wide rotating radar dome can scan vast areas for potential threats. But why here? Why now?
Military installations dot the region, so routine surveillance is always a possibility. But a dedicated flight from Oklahoma just to make a couple of loops over the water? That’s not exactly standard procedure.
With 30 Sentry aircraft still in active duty, 26 of them stationed at Tinker, this isn’t the only one the government has at its disposal. But this particular flight pattern—heading straight to an infamous UFO site, circling, and leaving—has people asking questions.
Was it routine surveillance? A response to a classified sighting? Or something else entirely? The Air Force isn’t saying, and speculation is running wild.
One thing’s for sure—when America’s top spy plane starts circling a known UFO hotspot, people notice.
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Five Fast Facts
- The Boeing E-3 Sentry was first introduced in 1977 and has been a critical part of U.S. air defense ever since.
- Tinker Air Force Base, the Sentry’s home, is also home to the largest aircraft maintenance complex in the U.S. military.
- Pamlico Sound is the largest lagoon on the East Coast, covering over 80 miles in length.
- In 1587, England’s Lost Colony of Roanoke vanished from an island near Pamlico Sound, leaving behind only the word “CROATOAN” carved into a tree.
- The U.S. military has acknowledged investigating UFO sightings in recent years, but official explanations remain scarce.
