Awaiting editorial reviewSerial 91f2a3bf-53e4-4907-8ccd-eea84e60d136
DOW-UAP-D44: Range Fouler Reporting Form, Gulf of Aden, October 2020
Prepared summary.
A U.S. Navy O-2 from Squadron 172 ATKS filed a Range Fouler Reporting Form reporting that on October 15, 2020, from 14:18:39Z to 14:19:52Z, while at 19,073 feet HAT over the Gulf of Aden, they tracked "a round, cold object in IR traveling 319 degrees at 20 mph." The object "made a few abrupt directional changes during the 1 minute contact," with the infrared sensor set to black-hot and the object appearing bright white. The form was approved for release to AARO by USCENTCOM on March 27, 2026, and publicly released May 8, 2026; witness identifying information was sanitized per SPEAR policy.
Gulf of AdenRank O-2, Squadron 172 ATKS, Crew Position: Other (name redacted)USCENTCOM MDR 26-0038 to MDR 26-0046Disc
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[page 1] • Declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison USC Please do not use the purple Declay button above. Save and email the complete file manually (see below). # Range Fouler Reporting Form Please complete this form to the best of your ability. If you do n:ot have the requested information, please leave the field blank. If there was more than one "group!" please report each on a separate form for data collection purposes. You should receive a response within 5 business days. Last Name, First Name: <empty> Rank: O-2 Squadron: 172 ATKS SIPR Email Address: <empty> Crew Position: Other This information is for contact only. SPEAR sanitizes all r .ports of identifying information. Absolutely no identifying information for aircrew or squadr::n will be recorded for analysis. Date (mm/dd/yy): 10/15/20 Time of detection (hh:mm:ss Z): 14:18:39 Day / Night: Day Side No.: <empty> Buno: <empty> ISR Mission Description (CAS, BFM, etc): <empty> LFE?: <empty> Contact Working Area (Ex: W-72 1A) Contact Latitute (DD:MM:SS) N/S Contact Longitude (DD:MM:SS) EW Contact Altitude (Ex: 22000) Altitude Constant? Wind Dir at Contact Alt (Ex: m) Wind Speed # Range Fouler Reporting Form (cont.) 10/15/20 14:18:39 Day Date (mm/dd/yy) Time of detection (hh:mm:ss Z) Day / Night Side No. Buno N E Contact Working Area (Ex: W-72 1A) Contact Latitude (DD:MM:SS) N/S Contact Longitude (DD:MM:SS) E/W Please attempt to determine a Lat / Long for the contact at initial detection. We recommend using JMPS to reference the sensor-derived bearing and range relative to the bullseye you had in use. If that method is not available, any reasonable derivation of location will work, but please be as specific as possible and make a note in the comments section. These locations may be used to cue other means of tracking. Radar Equipped: [ ] AIM-9x Self-Track: [ ] Stable Trackfile?: [ ] ATFLIR Autotrack: [ ] # of Contacts in "Group": 1 Tally Achieved: [ ] EA Indications (Check all that apply): [ ] ECM Arc [ ] Letter Identifier [ ] False Trackfiles [ ] Other/Ambiguous # Range Fouler Reporting Form (cont.) Radar Equipped: <empty> AIM-9x Self-Track: [ ] Stable Trackfile?: <empty> ATFLIR Autotrack: [ ] # of Contacts in "Group": 1 Tally Achieved: [ ] EA Indications (Check all that apply): [ ] ECM Arc [ ] Letter Identifier [ ] False Trackfiles [ ] Other/Ambiguous Please check all that apply: Round: [x] Moving Parts: [ ] Square: [ ] Metallic: [ ] Balloon-shaped: [ ] Markings: [ ] Wings/Airframe: [ ] Translucent: [ ] Other Shape: [ ] Opaque: [ ] Apparent Propulsion: [ ] Reflective: [ ] Contact Altitude (Ex: 22000) Altitude Constant? Wind Dir at Contact Alt (From) Wind Speed Was the contact moving? Yes Direction/Speed (Ex. 090/15): 261/30 Please check all that apply: Round: [x] Moving Parts: [ ] Square: [ ] Metallic: [ ] Balloon-shaped: [ ] Markings: [ ] Wings/Airframe: [ ] Translucent: [ ] Other Shape: [ ] Opaque: [ ] Apparent Propulsion: [ ] Reflective: [ ] # Range Fouler Reporting Form (cont.) Please use the field below to describe the contact and any interaction in your own words with as much detail as possible. Please be sure to include any detail not included in questions above. Contact at 14:18:39Z to 14:19:52Z on 15OCT2020. MGRS location 40Q BD 63 1.4a 19 1.4a (estimated lat/long 1.4a). While at 19,073 HAT over the Gulf of Aden we tracked a round, cold object in IR traveling 319 degrees at 20 mph. It made a few abrupt directional changes during the 1 minute contact. Our sensor was aimed -50 degrees below our altitude with a slant range of 4.06NM and ground range of 4.78KM. The IR sensor was set to black hot and the object in question was a bright white. (b)(6) Don't use the purple "submit" button! Save this form with filename "Date_Squadron_RF.pdf" and email it to (b)(6) (Also in the global). For troubleshooting, call (b)(6) Thank you for your time. Please ensure all display tapes are ripped for the entire time of interaction and saved as a .wmv (Example: 4 May VFA-106 HUD.wmv). Squadron intel personnel shall upload those files to the repository located at this link. (b)(6) USCENTCOM MDR 26-0038 to MDR 26-0046 Approved for Release to AARO 03/27/26 000001