Lt. Cmdr. Chad Underwood is a U.S. Navy veteran who served as a weapons systems officer aboard fighter aircraft.

He is most widely known for filming the “Tic Tac” unidentified aerial phenomenon in 2004, a video that has become central to modern debates over UAP/UFO phenomena. The recording revealed an oval-shaped object, rapidly accelerating, observed from his aircraft’s sensors—an incident that has attracted attention from defense analysts, media, and transparency advocates. Underwood’s role as both observer and sensor operator gives the footage a degree of technical provenance that is often lacking in UAP reports.

The film is verified on-record: Underwood captured it using AN/ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) optics during a training mission off the coast of Southern California. It has been declassified to some extent and has been analyzed in government reports. The object’s flight characteristics—such as abrupt maneuvers and speed inconsistent with known aircraft capabilities—are documented in sensor readouts. However, many details remain contested: the exact altitude, acceleration, or whether environmental effects could account for some anomalies are still debated.

Underwood has made attributed claims about his impressions: for example, that the object appeared to defy physical constraints typical of known aircraft; that the object’s motion suggested advanced propulsion or maneuvering. These claims are his interpretation of what the sensors captured, and while compelling to some experts, they are not universally accepted. Skeptics highlight potential issues like sensor artifacts, data resolution, or misinterpretation of physics under extreme conditions.

Beyond the video itself, Underwood’s standing comes from his credibility as a trained military aviator and sensor operator. Though he has spoken publicly about the event, there is no reliable record—based on available sources—of further signals tying him to ongoing classified research programs or private disclosures. His profile thus centers on a single incident that remains a cornerstone of UAP discussions, valued for its recorded data and persistence in public and governmental consciousness.