- Dear Jeff,
-
- As part of the investigation, the FLIR representative
for Mexico, Mr. Gilberto Rocha, was interviewed by Jaime Maussan regarding
the images recorded by the FLIR STAR SAFIRE II aboard the Mexican Air Force
Merlin airplane during the March 5 , 2004 incident over the Campeche area.
-
- NOTE: The comments and opinions expresed by Mr. Gilberto
Rocha are his own personal points of view based on his experience and knowledge
of the FLIR STAR SAFIRE II operational functions and do not necesarely
represent FLIR Systems, Inc. opinion and points of view.
-
- Question: Mr. Rocha, you just have reviewed some images
recorded by the Air Force during an antinarcotics operation over Campeche
on March 5, 2004. What is your opinion about them.
-
- Answer: These are interesting images because they are
not common. I will try to explain myself. The human eye perceives certain
light frequency that the sun emits. Beyond this frequency the human eye
has not the capacity to perceive those images. The infrared source or the
infrared rays can only be detected with the FLIR or with special cameras
that can detect the infrared radiation.
-
- The equipment that the Air Force is using has the capacity
to detect visible images and infrared images. The images that we saw from
the Air Force footage correspond to objects that emit temperature, they
are emitting heat and they are emitting radiation to the exterior and the
camera is reading this.
-
- These images may have low resolution because of the distance
that we are meassuring but represent round shaped objects that can not
be compared to any known object that we have been looking for in the air
space.
-
- Question: Could these have been any kind of aircraft
?
-
- Answer. No, because the conventional aircraft have the
temperature very well defined in their turbines and in the front where
friction withis registered therefore they could not be seen as rounded
lights.
-
- If we could have a closer image of the objects, perhaps
we could have a better definition of the shape of these objects but due
to the information we have, these objects are round shaped and we cannot
consider them as airplanes.
-
- Question: Any posibility for an helicopter ?
-
- Answer: No, it's the same case: the turbine and blades
would be the point of highest temperature defining the shape of the helicopter
and it would be always a known shape not of a round-shaped object.
-
- Question: If these objects are not any known aircraft
what do you think they are.
-
- Answer: In the strict sense of the word avoiding any
distortion or confusion these are objects that fly and we can not identify.
-
- Question: Is it posible that the FLIR could have been
giving us false information, that these high temperature readings were
inexistent?
-
- Answer: Negative, because in the images we are seeing
clouds that have a higher temperature that the ambient average temperature,
and we can see the cloud silhouettes because the FLIR is detecting their
infrared frequency.
-
- The objects that we are seeing are the points of higest
temperature there. Personally, I have never seen anything like this. My
experience with these cameras is completely industrial, we analize a whole
variety of industrial appliances as well as the electrical industry but
for me the case of the mexican Air Force is an unsolved case.
|
