Most of these “anomalies are detected with late generation sensors, not visually, perhaps they are electromagnetic, particle or other heretofore unobserved/undetected phenomenoma, but not aliens. Occam’s razor applied.
I’m not a pilot, Navy or otherwise, but I’ve seen a similar object up close and personal on the highway between Tonopah and Battle Mountain, Nevada on a summer night in 1978.
I was driving with my parents and older brother about midnight when out of nowhere this bright orb of light appeared about 1/2 mile behind my car. I thought where did that come from and the next thing it zoomed right up on my tail to within a few car lengths. But the light it was giving off was not like a set of hi-beams and their was no wavering to it and no mass of something attached to it. I woke up my family and we all witnessed it. Then it shot straight up, flew over the car and then straight back down a few car lengths in front of us. It stayed there for about 15 seconds or so then went 90 degrees straight to my left and hovered over the desert. Then it shot straight up into to night sky and dissapeared.
Every maneuver was at 90 degrees. It was amazing. As a professional engineer and other than we were close the Nevada test range, I couldn’t tell you what it was or how it was powered. Just this bright, unwavering, massless orb of light.