Oh, having been in intelligence I can asure you they had gotten some briefings about future technologies even if they hadn’t seen the technology in action
remember the guys who had “the right stuff” had a lot of clues about what was possible in aviation
The thing about pilots (and others in aviation like the tower personnel who witnessed a giant UFO over a dock at
O’Hare airport in November a few yaears ago)...
they can look at a craft in motion and tell you if the laws of physics (or whatever) physically “allow” a pilot or craft to do what they are seeing it do.
the universal theme of those who report UFO’s (many don’t because ridicule and intimdation are the usual responses) ) is that what they see is incompatible with the known laws of physics. That is what the JAL pilot is saying on his conversation with the Alaska tower. “Hey, they can’t DO that???”
INDEED.
You said — “Oh, having been in intelligence I can asure you they had gotten some briefings about future technologies even if they hadn’t seen the technology in action”
—
There may be certain people in intelligence that may know, but that doesn’t necessarily filter down to all the rank and file military person and/or even the public. And even when something like that is sighted and reported by someone in the rank and file and/or by the public — they are never going to be told what “intelligence” knows — in any case.
So, they are left with knowing nothing, no matter how much “intelligence” knows about it...