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This is not what the pilots saw and it was daytime.

Well we don't know what the tech in the article actually looks like because there are no pictures. FLIR lock on superhot plasma seems possible during the day and the shape in the videos does seem like it could pass for a such a plasma ball IMO.

Here's another (personal) theory: the "UFO" is actually the result of the jet's own laser weapon/defense system which is why the pan rate is so consistent in the videos - i.e. it's aimed by the pilot himself.

See this article:

https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/politics/us-air-force-laser-f...

Then how do you explain the tic tac that looks like a solid object?

I think the "looks like a solid object" --> stable geometry + opacity, which to me means that the laser plasma system produces a consistent effect in the same way you get a red spot with standard laser pointer, though it's a second order incandescence with plasma so it's more volumetric like.

The specific "tic tac" appearance may just be what the effect ends up looking like - see the picture in this article for a tic tac-looking laser plasma ball: https://www.slashgear.com/super-powerful-laser-creates-plasm...

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