Ryan Graves is a retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant and F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot who became one of the most outspoken voices on UAP aviation safety after his squadron repeatedly encountered unidentified objects in restricted airspace beginning in 2014. A Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduate and former VFA-11 “Red Rippers” pilot, Graves testified before the U.S. House of Representatives on July 26, 2023, and founded Americans for Safe Aerospace — an organization advocating for pilots who encounter UAPs to be able to report them without stigma or career consequences.
Biography & Background
Ryan Graves grew up in Massachusetts and attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), earning a Bachelor of Science in 2008. He was commissioned as a naval officer and trained to fly the F/A-18F Super Hornet, ultimately joining Strike Fighter Squadron 11 (VFA-11), the “Red Rippers,” based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Graves flew multiple deployments aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) during his active duty years. His career overlapped with the transition to the AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar — a significantly more capable system than its predecessor. It was this radar upgrade, Graves has testified, that allowed his squadron to begin detecting objects that had likely always been present but previously went unnoticed.
Graves transitioned out of active duty around 2015. He subsequently worked in commercial aviation before turning his attention full-time to UAP advocacy and aviation safety following the 2017 New York Times disclosure that brought the phenomenon into the public mainstream.
The Virginia Beach UAP Encounters (2014–2015)
Beginning in approximately 2014, Graves and the pilots of VFA-11 began regularly detecting unidentified objects over restricted airspace off the Virginia coast — in the same military training corridors used by USS Theodore Roosevelt’s air wing. The sightings were not isolated incidents. Graves has stated that the objects were being encountered daily over a period of months, and that their persistence transformed the experience from alarming to simply routine.
The objects were typically described as small — approximately 5 to 15 feet across — and dark gray or black. Graves and other pilots described them as resembling “a dark gray or black cube inside of a clear sphere,” with the corners of the cube nearly touching the interior of the sphere. Unlike the Nimitz “Tic Tac,” these objects did not appear to actively evade interceptors. They were instead observed sitting stationary at altitude — sometimes at 25,000 feet or above — for hours, or moving at high speed against the wind with no visible propulsion.
The encounters posed genuine aviation safety hazards. In congressional testimony, Graves described a near-miss in which a pilot came within approximately 50 feet of one of the objects. That incident was never formally reported through any safety channel — a consequence, Graves has argued, of the institutional stigma that surrounds UAP reporting in the military.
The sensors involved — the AN/APG-79 AESA radar and various electro-optical systems on the F/A-18F — are among the most capable in U.S. military service. Graves has repeatedly pointed out that the reliability of these systems makes the encounters difficult to dismiss as sensor error or pilot misperception.
Congressional Testimony (July 26, 2023)
On July 26, 2023, Graves testified under oath before the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs alongside former intelligence officer David Grusch and retired Navy Commander David Fravor. The hearing — titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency” — drew international media attention and marked the first time Graves, Fravor, and Grusch had all testified simultaneously.
Graves’s testimony diverged in emphasis from his co-witnesses. Where Fravor focused on the specifics of a single dramatic encounter and Grusch made sweeping allegations about a secret government retrieval program, Graves argued from a systemic aviation safety perspective. His central argument was that regardless of what UAPs ultimately are, the lack of any formal reporting channel — and the active cultural stigma against filing reports — constitutes a serious and unaddressed risk to military aviators.
In his opening statement, Graves was direct about the institutional problem: “UAP are in our airspace, but they are grossly underreported. The stigma attached to UAP reporting is real and powerful and challenges national security.” He described a situation in which pilots who encountered the objects simply did not file reports, because doing so carried implicit career risk — and in which the military had no formal mechanism to receive or investigate such reports even if they were filed.
Graves was also candid about the two equally troubling explanations for the objects his squadron encountered: “If these are foreign drones, it’s an incredible intelligence failure. If it’s something else, I think that demands scientific inquiry.” His framing deliberately avoided extraterrestrial speculation while still forcing the question of what unknown technology was operating daily in U.S. restricted airspace — undetected, unchallenged, and uninvestigated.
His official biography submitted to the House Oversight Committee and testimony transcript are available through the House of Representatives.
Americans for Safe Aerospace & Public Advocacy
In 2023, Graves founded Americans for Safe Aerospace (ASA), a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to supporting military and commercial pilots who have encountered UAPs. The organization provides a confidential reporting mechanism for aviators, advocates for legislative protections for UAP reporters, and conducts outreach to members of Congress and the aviation industry.
By the time of his July 2023 congressional testimony, ASA had received reports from more than 8,200 aviation professionals. The organization has positioned itself explicitly around aviation safety rather than extraterrestrial advocacy — a framing Graves credits with making it easier for pilots to engage without fear of stigma.
Graves has appeared widely in media, including on CBS 60 Minutes (May 16, 2021), where he gave one of the most detailed early public accounts of the Virginia Beach encounters alongside David Fravor. He has also testified at multiple congressional hearings beyond the July 2023 session, establishing himself as one of the most consistent institutional voices calling for a formalized UAP safety reporting infrastructure within the FAA and Department of Defense.
His advocacy has shaped legislative outcomes. The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act included provisions creating a formal UAP reporting framework in part due to pressure from Graves and others — a direct legislative consequence of the July 2023 hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Ryan Graves and his squadron encounter?
Beginning in approximately 2014, Graves and other VFA-11 pilots began encountering small, unidentified objects — described as resembling a dark gray or black cube inside a clear sphere, approximately 5 to 15 feet across — in restricted airspace off the Virginia coast. The encounters occurred daily over a period of months and included a near-miss at approximately 50 feet.
What is Americans for Safe Aerospace?
Americans for Safe Aerospace (ASA) is a nonprofit organization founded by Graves in 2023. It provides a confidential reporting mechanism for military and commercial pilots who have encountered UAPs, advocates for legislative protections for those who report, and promotes a formal UAP reporting infrastructure within the FAA and DoD. The organization had received reports from more than 8,200 aviation professionals as of Graves’s July 2023 congressional testimony.
Did Ryan Graves testify before Congress?
Yes. Graves testified under oath before the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security on July 26, 2023, alongside David Grusch and David Fravor. He argued primarily from an aviation safety standpoint, calling for formal UAP reporting channels and legislative protections for military pilots who file reports.
Why didn’t Navy pilots report the UAPs they encountered?
According to Graves, the primary barrier was institutional stigma. Pilots who reported UAP encounters risked professional embarrassment, skepticism from commanders, and implicit career consequences. Graves has described this as a systemic failure: the absence of any formal, protected reporting channel means that encounters go undocumented even when they pose real collision hazards to aircraft.
How does Ryan Graves differ from other UAP witnesses like David Fravor or David Grusch?
Graves frames the issue primarily as an aviation safety problem rather than a disclosure or intelligence matter. He has been careful to avoid extraterrestrial speculation, instead emphasizing that unknown objects in restricted airspace pose collision risks — and that the lack of reporting infrastructure means those risks are invisible to regulators, safety investigators, and commanders.
What radar system detected the Virginia Beach UAPs?
The objects were detected using the AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar fitted to the F/A-18F Super Hornet. Graves has noted that the AESA system is significantly more capable than the older mechanically scanned radar it replaced — suggesting the objects may have been present previously but were below the earlier radar’s detection threshold.
What squadron did Ryan Graves fly with?
Graves flew with Strike Fighter Squadron 11 (VFA-11), the “Red Rippers,” based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The squadron flies the F/A-18F Super Hornet and deploys aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which was the carrier air wing’s home ship during the period of the encounters.