BlueBook Chronicle
Timeline of indexed records
An Information Disclosure Analyst from the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security sent an email confirming that tearlines from a mission report were approved at the UNCLASSIFIED level. The tearlines state that a US aircraft observed one possible UAP for 12 seconds at 2353Z on 10 April 2025, and one possible UAP for 23 seconds at 0007Z on 11 April 2025, both at unknown altitude and speed, with no interference noted. A PAROC Intel Data Analysis Technician at 12 AF/DET 3 confirmed with the observing unit that the tearlines and the INDOPACOM AOR designation were both UNCLASSIFIED.
INDOPACOM AOR / 1x possible UAP observed for 12 seconds at 2353Z on 10 APR 25, flying at unknown altitude and unknown speed, no interference noted
A U.S. military operator reported observing two round, white hot UAPs moving south at approximately 240 nautical miles per hour near grid coordinate 35SQT3423692957 in the Mediterranean Sea at 1653Z in 2025. The report is a MISREP filed with AARO, originating from Djibouti. Multiple fields on page 7 are redacted under exemption 1.4(a), and the exact date of the incident is not specified in the document.
Mediterranean Sea / 2x round, white hot UAPs
In late 2025, a senior U.S. intelligence officer and two pilots departed a Joint Operations Center by helicopter to investigate loud thuds and UAP sightings over a weapons test range. Hovering at 700 feet AGL, they observed countless orange orbs swarming near a mountain, then two large oval orbs stationary just above the rotor disk that expanded into a "T" formation of four or five before dimming over 10 to 15 seconds. Orange orbs also appeared directly above transiting fighter jets, matching their speed and flight path, and separately formed a triangle formation before vanishing.
Mountain test range (location unspecified) / Orange orbs, oval-shaped with white or yellow center, emitting light in all directions, observed stationary just above rotor disk to the right of helicopter at approximately 700 feet AGL
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, depicting two small, dark, elongated objects near the center of a grayscale sensor frame in the Western United States. The image shows a crosshair overlay with arms labeled "3" and at least eight black redaction bars obscuring annotations; an embedded timestamp of 12/31/99 is acknowledged as incorrect due to the system clock not being set. The operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP, and no accompanying mission report was provided.
Western United States / Two small, dark, elongated objects visible near center-right of crosshair intersection in upper right quadrant of frame
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, showing a small, dark, circular object in the upper right quadrant of a grayscale, grainy frame consistent with night-vision or thermal imaging. The image carries a timestamp of 12/31/99 18:11:19, which AARO notes is incorrect because the system date was not set. Eight black redaction bars obscure identifying information, no mission report was provided, and the operator reported being unable to positively identify the object. The incident location is given as the Western United States.
Western United States / Small, dark, circular object visible in the upper right quadrant near the center of the frame
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in 2025, depicting a UAP over the Western United States that the operator was unable to positively identify. The grayscale frame shows a crosshair reticle with graduated scale markings, a small dark circular object in the upper right quadrant, faint terrain features in the lower portion, and six black rectangular blocks plus a top bar consistent with applied redactions. The embedded timestamp of 12/31/99 18:11:27 is noted as incorrect because the system date was not set, and no mission report accompanied the submission.
Western United States / Small dark dot or speck near center-right of frame above crosshair center, described in manifest as a small, dark, circular object visible in the upper right quadrant
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, depicting a UAP over the Western United States. The grayscale sensor frame shows a central crosshair reticle with a horizontal scale labeled 15 to 15, six paired black and gray rectangular blocks on both sides, and a timestamp reading 12/31/99 18:18:58, which AARO notes is incorrect due to the system clock not being set. One to two small dark objects appear just above and to the right of the reticle center. The operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP, and no mission report was provided.
Western United States / One to two small, dark objects visible just above and to the right of the center of the crosshair reticle
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025 as a UAP report, with the incident located in the Western United States. The monochrome, grainy image shows a crosshair reticle with a dark, structured object with an appendage on its left side near the center, and a second smaller dark circular object in the bottom right quadrant. The original imagery was redacted before submission, no mission report was provided, and the operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP.
Western United States / Dark, structured object with an appendage on its left side, visible just at the top of the crosshair reticle; consistent with helicopter or small aircraft silhouette at significant distance
The FBI submitted a still image derived from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, depicting a UAP over the Western United States. The grayscale sensor frame shows a centered crosshair reticle with scale markings, a small dark circular object just to the top right of the reticle center, and a faint mountain range at the bottom. The imagery was redacted before submission, no mission report was provided, and the operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP. The burned-in timestamp reads 12/31/99 18:10:50 but is acknowledged as incorrect due to the system clock not being set.
Western United States / Small, dark, circular object visible just to the top right quadrant of the center of the crosshair reticle
The FBI submitted a still image derived from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, depicting a UAP over the Western United States. The grayscale frame shows a crosshair reticle with horizontal scale labels and a small, dark, circular object just right of center in the top right quadrant, with an indistinct mountain range in the background. At least seven black rectangular redaction bars obscure portions of the image, no mission report accompanied the submission, and the operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP. The embedded timestamp of 12/31/99 is acknowledged as incorrect due to the system clock not being set.
Western United States / Small, dark, circular object visible just right of center of the crosshair reticle in the top right quadrant of the frame
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, depicting two small dark circular objects near the center of a crosshair reticle overlay. The grainy monochrome image carries a timestamp of 12/31/99 18:20:08, which the manifest states is incorrect because the system date was not set. The original imagery was redacted by the FBI before submission, no mission report was provided, and the operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP. The incident location is given as the Western United States.
Western United States / Two small dark circular objects visible near the center of the crosshair/reticle overlay
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, showing a small, dark, circular object just below and left of a crosshair reticle center, with an indistinct mountain range in the background, over the Western United States. The image is grayscale with a grainy texture consistent with night-vision or low-light imaging, and carries a burned-in timestamp of 12/31/99 18:10:26 that AARO notes is incorrect because the system clock was not set. The original imagery was redacted before submission, no mission report was provided, and the operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP.
Western United States / Small, dark, circular object visible just below and to the left of the center of the crosshair reticle intersection
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025 as a UAP report, with the original imagery redacted before submission and no accompanying mission report provided. The grayscale image shows a crosshair reticle with a horizontal scale from -15 to +15, six black redaction rectangles, and a small dark circular object in the upper right quadrant against an indistinct mountain range. The operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP; the embedded timestamp of 12/31/99 18:11:06 is acknowledged as incorrect due to the system clock not being set.
Western United States / Small, dark, circular object visible in the upper right quadrant of the frame
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, showing a grayscale frame with a crosshair reticle and a small dark circular object slightly right of center. The background shows an indistinct mountain range or cloud formation, and multiple black redaction rectangles obscure labels at the frame edges. The operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP; no mission report was provided, and the embedded timestamp of 12/31/99 is noted as incorrect due to the system clock not being set.
Western United States / Small dark circular dot/object visible near image center, slightly right of crosshair reticle
An FBI 302 interview, classified SECRET//NOFORN, documents a senior US intelligence official's first-hand account of a multi-hour aerial search at a US military facility in 2025. Personnel aboard a state partner helicopter observed a "super-hot" orb that came within ten feet of the aircraft before traveling an estimated 20 miles southeast at a speed the helicopter could not match. Over the following thirty minutes, crews observed a swarm of lights too many to count, and repeated formations of four to six oval orange orbs with white or yellow centers that flared up and down in sequence.
United States / Large orb described as 'super-hot,' hovering over the ground; gained elevation, came within ten feet of helicopter [CALL SIGN 1], then headed east and traveled an estimated 20 miles southeast past [ROAD NAME] at a speed the helicopter could not match
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, reportedly taken in the Western United States. The grayscale image shows a targeting crosshair with two small dark elongated objects in the lower-right quadrant; approximately eight black redaction bars cover margin data fields. The operator reported being unable to positively identify the objects, no mission report was provided, and the embedded timestamp of 12/31/99 is noted as incorrect due to the system clock not being set.
Western United States / Two small, dark, elongated objects located slightly below and to the right of the crosshair center, positioned in the lower-right quadrant of the frame, visible against a medium-gray grainy background consistent with low-light or infrared imaging
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025, depicting a single dark, irregular-shaped object just above the center of a white crosshair reticle in a grainy monochrome sensor frame. The incident location is listed as the Western United States; the embedded timestamp of 12/31/99 18:19:40 is noted as incorrect due to the system date not being set. The original imagery was redacted before submission, no mission report was provided, and the operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP.
Western United States / Small dark, irregular-shaped object visible just above the center of the crosshair/reticle in a grainy, low-resolution monochrome sensor image
The FBI submitted a still image from a U.S. military system to AARO in 2025 showing a UAP over the Western United States. The grayscale image shows a crosshair reticle with graduated scale markings, a small dark circular object slightly right of center, and eight black redaction blocks obscuring identifying information. The operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP, no mission report was provided, and the visible timestamp of 12/31/99 is incorrect due to the system clock not being set.
Western United States / Small, dark, circular object visible in the center right quadrant, close to the center of the frame, appearing as a small dark dot/artifact slightly right of center crosshair in a grayscale surveillance or thermal/night-vision camera still image
A SECRET//NOFORN email chain between a PAROC Intel Data Analysis Technician at 15 AF / DET 1 and an Information Disclosure Analyst discusses a mission report stating that on October 31, 2024, a U.S. aircraft observed a possible UAP described as oval/orb shaped, likely moving at a low speed, for over two hours. The correspondence concerns approval to include the incident year in an unclassified tear line, with only the month and day previously approved. Both personal identities are redacted under (b)(6) and no location is given.
Location not stated / Possible UAP described as oval/orb shaped, likely moving at a low speed, observed for over 2 hours by U.S. Aircraft
A U.S. Air Force aircrew operating over Syria on October 20, 2024, reported observing a "misshapen and uneven ball of white light" on their Full-Motion Video feed between 1559Z and 1644Z, describing multiple "glares or light from unknown origin at different angles and directions" and a "light/glare halo effect" at the top of the FMV feed. The MISREP, filed by the 12th Special Operations Squadron under Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, records the UAP physical state as "Plasma," propulsion means as "UNKNOWN," and notes the aircrew assessed the event as not a lasing event and "benign" with no mission impact.
Syria / Misshapen and uneven ball of white light
On September 20, 2024, a U.S. AFSOC crew conducting a weapons calibration at Ayn al Asad Airbase's ROZ RAINDROP, Iraq, observed an unidentified object "fly" through their MX-20 and MX-25 IR sensors at a high rate of speed after releasing an AGM-176 missile. The WSO and CSO reported the UAP created an IR lens flare on both sensors, indicating a significant heat source. The report notes it is unknown whether an object detached from the primary UAP before it left the sensor field of view, and no additional aircraft were reported in the airspace.
Iraq / UAP created IR lens flare on MX-20 and MX-25 sensors, indicating a significant heat source
A U.S. Air Force TSGT assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and 609 CAOC observed one UAP over the Gulf of Aden at 05:17Z on July 14, 2024, while conducting ISR in support of NAVCENT. The observer reported the UAP maintained a straight flight path at the same altitude, traveled northwest at low altitude, and moved faster than the observing aircraft's flying speed. The observer assessed the UAP as benign and followed it until the distance became too far to follow. The report was filed as MISREP 10194673 by the 124th Attack Squadron under USCENTCOM.
Gulf of Aden / 1x UAP; straight flight path at same altitude; speed faster than observing aircraft's flying speed; kinetic trajectory: NW; kinetic altitude: LOW; kinetic velocity: [redacted, estimated]; first seen radius: 5; last seen radius: 5; UAP propulsion means: UNKNOWN; UAP payload: unknown; UAP under intelligent control: UNKNOWN; UAP advanced capabilities and/or materials: UNKNOWN; UAP signatures: [redacted]; UAP physical state: [redacted]; UAP description (size, shape, color, markings): [redacted]; no
A U.S. Air Force Senior Airman assigned to 3rd Special Operations Squadron, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, reported observing one UAP on June 7, 2024, at 0457Z while returning to base over the Gulf of Oman. The observer described a "glowing hot spherical unidentified object with a vertical unwavering cylindrical pole/bar attached on the bottom of the object," with a possible reflection in the water below, moving at an estimated 140 knots. The observer assessed the UAP as benign; propulsion means were listed as unknown, and no sensor interrogation was conducted.
Gulf of Oman / Glowing hot spherical unidentified object
A U.S. Air Force Senior Airman assigned to 33 SOS observed one UAP over the Mediterranean Sea on January 25, 2024, at 0509Z while in transit from LGLR. The observer reported the UAP was diamond-shaped with a non-maneuvering probe at the bottom, flying at approximately 434 knots, and visible only on the SWIR camera. The event lasted approximately two minutes, ending at 0511Z without further incident. The report, classified SECRET and originating under USCENTCOM, was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison on October 24, 2025, and approved for release to AARO on October 28, 2025.
Mediterranean Sea / Round diamond shape with straight, non-maneuverable 'tail' / probe at the bottom
The image is a composite sketch created in Adobe Photoshop 25.6, combining a photographic background of a rural grassy field with a digitally rendered golden-bronze disc-shaped flying saucer in the upper right. A bright starburst light effect appears adjacent to the left side of the craft. PDF metadata records a creation date of April 20, 2024, and a modification date of April 30, 2024, both in NZST.
Open grassy field / meadow (rural landscape, specific location unknown) / Disc-shaped UFO / flying saucer (digitally composited); metallic golden-bronze in color; positioned in upper right quadrant of image
A U.S. Air Force aircrew filed MISREP 9337873 reporting that on 29 October 2023 at 0811Z, while returning to base over the Aegean Sea, they spotted a UAP flying just above the ocean surface and moving straight toward land. The UAP was described as seemingly circular, too small to make out details, solid, and traveling at an estimated 30 MPH; it was lost from their sensor feed at 0811Z. The observer assessed the UAP as benign and not under intelligent control. The report was declassified on 22 January 2026 by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff.
Aegean Sea / Seemingly circular shape
On October 27, 2023, a U.S. Air Force ISR asset from the 33rd Special Operations Squadron observed a UAP flying just above the surface of the ocean water in the Aegean Sea at 0035Z. The UAP was described as seemingly circular and too small to make out details, taking multiple 90-degree turns at an estimated 80 mph. The asset lost the UAP from their feed at 0038Z. The report was filed as MISREP 9329374 and declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 22 January 2026.
Aegean Sea / Seemingly circular shape, too small to make out details
A U.S. Air Force A1C assigned to the 50th Attack Squadron reported two UAP events over the Persian Gulf on 24 October 2023 during an ISR mission supporting NAVCENT under Operation Spartan Shield. The first UAP, acquired at 0241Z, showed a cold thermal signature, was assessed as solid and benign, and had an estimated velocity of 320 MPH; a second UAP was acquired at 0322Z near grid 39RXK68 with an estimated velocity of 440 MPH. Neither event resulted in observer engagement or effects on persons, and the intel gap was recorded as not filled. The report was declassified on 12 September 2025 by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff.
Persian Gulf / UAP Event 1: Physical state solid; thermal signature showed cold; estimated kinetic velocity 320 MPH; trajectory unknown; altitude unknown; no intelligent control; no effects on persons; no observer engagement; size/shape/color unknown; propulsion unknown; payload unknown
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City reported in a September 16, 2023 cable that Mexican journalist Jaime Maussan presented alleged non-human remains to the Mexican Congress, which pilot witness Graves called an "unsubstantiated stunt" that took away from pilots' UAP experiences. The same cable reported that criminals killed two Guerrero prosecutors within one week: FGR state delegate Fernando Garcia Fernandez, shot from two vehicles in Chilpancingo on September 12, and FGE regional prosecutor Victor Manuel Salas Cuadras, kidnapped and found with approximately 50 gunshot wounds in Coyuca de Catalan on September 9.
Mexico City, Mexico / Alleged non-human remains presented by Jaime Maussan to Mexican Congress (described by pilot witness Graves as an 'unsubstantiated stunt'; scientists have discredited previous alleged alien corpses Maussan presented)
In September 2023 at around 9:00 AM, a group of U.S. persons driving east in a three-vehicle convoy to a test site for LiDAR data acquisition observed a bright white light over the horizon. The light was stationary, then moved to the right, and disappeared within ten seconds; one witness estimated it was ten to twenty miles away and noticed no interference with his vehicle. An FBI Special Agent conducted an FD-302 interview via FaceTime in October 2023. One witness thought the light might have been a meteor coming straight toward them and burning up in the atmosphere.
United States / Bright white stationary light observed over the horizon, visible for approximately ten seconds
An FBI FD-302, drafted in October 2023, documents a FaceTime video interview with a redacted contractor who observed a UAP at a U.S. test site in September 2023 while traveling to conduct LiDAR drone tests. Around 7:30 AM, the witness saw a metallic gray, wingless linear object with a super-bright white light at approximately 5,000 feet AGL, moving east to west for five to ten seconds before the light went out and the object vanished. All witness names, the test site location, and the precise dates are redacted throughout the document.
United States (test site, specific location redacted) / Linear object with a super bright white light on the east side
An FBI FD-302 documents an interview conducted in October 2023 with a redacted defense contractor who reported seeing a cigar-shaped, "metallic bronze in color" object at a U.S. test site in September 2023, between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m. The witness, who said she had restricted the airspace that morning for scheduled tests, described the object as the length of two to three Blackhawk helicopters, completely silent, slowly moving east to west, and bearing an intense diamond white light on its eastern end before it disappeared from a clear sky after five to ten seconds.
United States / Cigar-shaped object
A two-ship F-15E flight from the 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, flying defensive counter-air operations over Syria on February 21, 2023, reported three "poss UAP" near Shaddadi at FL240 at 0025Z, with weapon system video produced and no radar returns received; two of the objects were described as white and IR significant. At 0135Z the same flight reported one "poss balloon" near Shaddadi at FL210, also with weapon system video produced.
Syria / 3x possible UAP observed IVO Shaddadi at FL240 (approximately 24,000 feet); no radar returns received; 2 white objects IR significant; WSV produced
In March 2023, a witness in the Pacific Time Zone reported observing a large blue featureless triangular object hovering near a national security facility for approximately three minutes before moving in a "jerking" or "jumping" manner for a total observation time of about eight minutes. The witness said they "didn't think" the object was a drone and could not identify its means of propulsion.
Pacific Time Zone / Large blue featureless triangular object with a solid, unwavering silhouette emitting powerful 'whitish blue' light from multiple points along its perimeter
Seven federal law enforcement special agents working in the western United States reported four categories of sightings over two days in 2023. The reported events included orange orbs launching smaller red orbs at dusk, a large glowing orange orb hovering near a rock pinnacle, a kite-shaped object with lights pursued after being mistaken for a car, and a transparent kite-shaped object roughly 6 meters off the ground through which stars were faintly visible. The Department of War summary was released by AARO on May 8, 2026.
Western United States / Orange 'mother' orb visible for one to two seconds at dusk, emitting/launching smaller red orbs in groups of two to four (generally three); red orbs moved horizontally, sometimes angling upward or swooping down after launch; orange orb disappeared after each launch sequence; occurred at least five times over two days
A U.S. Air Force ISR asset from the 482nd Attack Squadron, operating under Operation Inherent Resolve, observed one "possible UAP/UAV flying west to east" near grid 38SMB42 in the Baghdad, Iraq vicinity at 1620Z on 1 December 2022. The observer did not follow the UAP and continued the mission as tasked; no further events were observed. No UAP signatures were detected and no effects on persons were reported. The MISREP was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 8 October 2025, and approved for release to AARO.
Iraq / 1x possible UAP/UAV flying west to east IVO 38SMB42 [redacted] 83 [redacted]
A U.S. Air Force operator assigned to the 89th Attack Squadron observed a UAP over Syria at 02:39Z on 31 July 2022, during an armed reconnaissance mission flown from Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. The GENTEXT section of the MISREP states the UAP occurred in KP 9 near grid 37SFU27, moved from north to south, and lasted less than one minute. The observing aircraft was at 19,359 feet and 116 knots; no UAP signatures were detected. Physical description fields are redacted under FOIA Exemption (b)(6).
Syria / UAP observed IVO 37SFU27[redacted]74[redacted] in KP 9, moving from north to south, total event duration less than one minute; size, shape, color, and other physical characteristics redacted under FOIA Exemption (b)(6)
A U.S. Air Force ISR asset took off from Sigonella Airbase on 29 May 2022 and conducted IMINT over the Eastern Mediterranean under Operation HUMMER SICKLE. At 0117Z on 30 May 2022, the screener observed one possible small UAP flying north to northeast and followed it as long as possible but could not get a positive ID. No UAP signatures were recorded. The report was approved for release to AARO and declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 8 October 2025.
Sigonella Airbase (LICZ) / One possible small UAP observed at 0117Z flying north to north east; screener could not get a positive ID
A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance asset from the 196 ATKS, operating over Iraq under Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, observed one UAP at 2043Z on 20 May 2022 flying north to northeast. The screener followed the UAP as long as possible but could not get a positive ID. The report, Misrep undefined-7528881, was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 8 October 2025, and approved for release to AARO.
Iraq / Number of UAP sighted: 1
A U.S. Air Force operator reported observing "5x UAP fly across the screen" via Full Motion Video over Iraq on 6 May 2022, between 1514Z and 1934Z, in the vicinity of grid 38SMC53. The GENTEXT describes one UAP as having "the VISRECCE of a possible missile" and the remaining four as fitting "closer to the profile of possible birds." The report, MISREP undefined-7473483, was filed under Operation Inherent Resolve and approved for release to AARO. Dust is noted as having "hindered most FMV collection of the ground" during the observation period.
Iraq / 1x UAP observed at 1514Z with visual reconnaissance profile of a possible missile, flying across the FMV field of view in the vicinity of grid 38SMC53
In May 2022, U.S. Central Command submitted a UAP report to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office consisting of a still image from a U.S. military system. The original reporter digitally altered the image by adding a red encircling line before submission, and the operator reported being unable to positively identify the UAP. A companion mission report, DoW-UAP-D12, described the UAP as moving from north to northeast.
Kuwait / Elongated area of contrast in the top left quarter of the still image, increasing in intensity along its length from top left to bottom right, encircled by a digitally added red line; reported as moving from north to northeast
A U.S. Air Force aircraft from the 482nd Attack Squadron filed MISREP 5039166 reporting two UAP observed on November 2, 2020, over the Arabian Gulf area during a NAVCENT support mission. The first UAP was observed at 2143Z; the second was observed at 2148Z traveling northwest, captured via Full Motion Video while the aircraft flew at FL220. The document was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 16 March 2026.
Arabian Gulf / UAP (OBS LINE 1): Observed at 2143Z; altitude unknown; method of observation not specified in OBS LINE 1 text; location partially redacted.
On October 27, 2020, at 01:12:21 Zulu, an O-3 pilot from 77 EFS filed a Range Fouler Debrief reporting two contacts at 26,000 feet, described as balloon-shaped, metallic, reflective, and visually tallied as "2x red blinking strobes." The target pod showed two IR significant contacts, with one range fouler circling the other, and noise jamming was received, indicated by two chevrons. The operator could not close within 16.9 NM, and "in 1/30th of a second, they were gone."
Contact altitude: 26,000 ft / Balloon-shaped
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 Aden / Round shape (checked)
MISREP 4871281 records that a U.S. military operator took off from OKAS on 1 October 2020 and, during a 21-hour NAVCENT support mission over the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman, observed 1X UAP at 1829Z on 2 October 2020. The report references OBSERVATION LINE 1 for UAP details, but that section is not present in the released text. The document was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 16 March 2026 under MDR 26-0028 and approved for release to AARO.
Strait of Hormuz / 1X UAP observed at 1829Z (no further physical description provided in unredacted text)
A U.S. Air Force ISR aircraft operating over the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman reported observing one UAP at 1732Z on 16 September 2020, as recorded in MISREP 4782130. The observation is cross-referenced to OBS LINE 1, which is redacted. The report was declassified on 22 January 2026 by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, and approved for release to AARO.
Strait of Hormuz / One UAP observed at 1732Z on 16 September 2020; estimated altitude 1,800 feet; observed via ISR asset; further description redacted (OBS LINE 1)
On the night of September 4, 2020, an O-3 assigned to 172 ATKS filed a Range Fouler Reporting Form reporting that between 21:09Z and 21:17Z over the Gulf of Aden, the crew tracked a "round, cold object" in IR traveling 168 degrees at 277 mph at 23,819 HAT. The IR sensor was set to "black hot," making the object appear "bright white," and the object "made a few abrupt directional changes" during the eight-minute contact. The form was approved for release to AARO on March 16, 2026, under USCENTCOM document number 26-0028; reporter identity and coordinate fields are redacted.
Gulf of Aden / Round shape
A U.S. Navy O-2 pilot assigned to 482 ATKS filed a Range Fouler Debrief Form reporting that on August 31, 2020, during a dusk ISR mission over the Arabian Gulf, an object flew through the sensor screen and was then surpassed by a second object of the same size and shape but at much higher speed. At one point three objects were visible simultaneously on the screen, moving amongst each other, at a constant altitude of 18,000 feet on a heading of 150 degrees at 230 knots. The form was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison and approved for release to AARO on March 16, 2026.
Arabian Gulf / First object flew through the sensor screen; shape described as 'Other' (non-standard)
MISREP 4685903, filed by U.S. Air Force personnel assigned to the 482nd Attack Squadron and 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing, records that at 1527Z on 27 August 2020, an aircraft operating over the Arabian Gulf observed a "formation of UNK flying objects" via onboard sensor. The report states that "light cloud coverage prevented continuous tracking of the UAP event" and that the aircrew "was unable to gain PIO again on this formation." The document was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 22 January 2026, and contains extensive redactions.
Persian Gulf / Formation of unknown flying objects (1x UNK FORMATION)
MISREP 4592219, filed by the 482nd Attack Squadron under USCENTCOM, records that on 8 August 2020 at 0726Z, a U.S. Air Force asset operating from OKAS observed one UAP "transitting" in the vicinity of grid 39RWL08 over the Arabian Gulf, via full motion video. The report notes "no impact to mission" and states that "dense cloud coverage intermittently impacted FMV collection." The document was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, on 20 March 2026, and approved for release to AARO on 27 March 2026.
Persian Gulf / 1x UAP observed transiting IVO grid 39RWL08, observed via FMV (Full Motion Video), no further shape/size/color description provided
A U.S. Air Force ISR aircraft from the 482nd Attack Squadron reported three UAP over the Arabian Gulf on July 16, 2020, at 1830Z, 1920Z, and 2345Z during a 20.3-hour mission supporting NAVCENT. The first UAP was observed via Full Motion Video at grid 39RVM5, with the aircraft at FL 200, 98 KIAS, heading 152M; weather was not a factor. The GENTEXT context field for the first observation is partially redacted. The report was declassified by USCENTCOM Chief of Staff MG Richard A. Harrison on March 16, 2026, and approved for release to AARO.
Persian Gulf / UAP observed at 1830Z IVO grid 39RVM5, observed via FMV, weather not a factor (OBS LINE 1)
On the night of 14 May 2020 at 20:40:00 Zulu, a U.S. Navy crew performing an ISR tasking over the Persian Gulf reported that "a solid white object flew through the FOV" and appeared "to make erratic moments above the water." The crew temporarily lost then re-acquired the object, obtained 4x zoom, and lost it again due to poor track placement. All witness identifying information was removed by SPEAR. The document was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, and approved for release to AARO on 26 January 2026.
Persian Gulf / Solid white, round object
A U.S. military operator reported observing a UAP over the Arabian Gulf in 2020, describing it as looking "like a balloon, similar to previously reported UAP from 48FW." The report states the UAP was traveling with the winds at 31,000 ft MSL and was tracked as a Weapons Quality 1 track. The operator visually identified the UAP using a TFLIR sensor. The operator's identity is redacted under exemption 1.4(a).
Arabian Gulf / Balloon-like UAP; traveling with the winds at 31,000 ft MSL; observed as a Weapons Quality 1 track; visually identified via TFLIR (targeting forward-looking infrared) sensor; described as similar to previously reported UAP from 48FW
A U.S. military operator reported observing one probable UAP in the vicinity of grid reference 3SKT4255899519 in the Arabian Gulf at 1246Z in 2020. The report states no mission impact occurred and the operator continued original tasking. The operator's identity is redacted under the 1.4(a) exemption, and pages 1 through 6 of the MISREP are not reproduced in the available source text.
Arabian Gulf / 1x probable UAP (PROB UAP); no further physical description available due to redaction
A U.S. military Mission Report from 2020 documents two UAP observations in the Arabian Gulf. At 1354Z, a redacted observer reported 1 UAP traveling at 40 knots between FL160 and FL170 at constant speed. At 2243Z, the same or another redacted observer reported 2 possible UAPs with an estimated velocity of 278 knots that increased speed and changed direction towards the south. Pages 1 through 4 are not reproduced in the available source text.
Arabian Gulf / 1x UAP observed at 1354Z, velocity 40 knots, altitude FL160 to FL170, speed remained constant
A U.S. military operator reported observing a possible UAP near grid coordinate 34SDG9041417044 in the Arabian Gulf at 1258Z in 2020. The brief observation prevented any altitude estimate; velocity was estimated at 321 knots. The operator reported the UAP "increased speed and changed direction towards the east." Pages 1 through 4 are withheld under exemption 1.4(a), and the pilot's identity is redacted under b(6).
Arabian Gulf / Possible UAP (POSS UAP); altitude not estimated due to brief observation; velocity estimated at 321 knots; increased speed and changed direction towards the east
A U.S. Air Force operator filed MISREP 8799515, classified SECRET, reporting four UAP observed in the Arabian Gulf area of operations in 2020 under AFCENT. The GENTEXT records sequential sightings at 17:36:22Z, 17:36:30Z, and 17:36:49Z, with cloud coverage obstructing a clear visual. The manifest describes the objects as "a line of dots followed by a trailing dot." The UAP Advanced Capabilities And/Or Materials field is answered "NO"; most other UAP attribute fields are redacted under (b)(1)1.4a.
Arabian Gulf / 4X UAP observed flying in [redacted] FOV
On November 18, 2016, a U.S. P-8A aircraft monitoring carrier task group activity in the Eastern Mediterranean observed an unidentified low-flying object 55 nautical miles northwest of Latakia, Syria, via its EO/IR sensor. The object appeared to be in "sea skim mode," traveling at approximately 500 knots on a southeasterly heading, and passed between the Russian vessel INGUL ARS and one unidentified vessel before the P-8A lost visual contact after two minutes. The CTG 67.1 mission commander characterized the interaction as safe and assessed the activity as consistent with standard carrier task group activity.
Eastern Mediterranean / Unidentified low-flying object appearing to be in sea skim mode, traveling at approximately 500 knots on a southeasterly heading, detected via EO/IR sensor, observed for approximately 2 minutes
On November 5, 2004, the U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission and USAID Director met with the Board of the Union of UFOlogists of Turkmenabat in Lebap Welayet, Turkmenistan. UOU President Ovezberdy Muradov stated that Turkmen military and government authorities had consulted him about mysterious occurrences in Turkmen airspace, but said there had been no confirmed sightings of UFOs in Turkmenistan. The cable, transmitted November 12, 2004 and signed by Jacobson, describes the UOU as a USAID grant recipient and the first independent NGO registered in post-Soviet Turkmenistan.
Turkmenabat, Lebap Welayet (province), Turkmenistan / Unidentified flying objects (UFOs), referenced as subject of study and government consultations; no confirmed sightings reported in Turkmenistan
A confidential cable sent October 30, 2001, from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to the State Department reports that Deputy Foreign Minister Mamedov, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, categorically denied that Russian planes flew over or bombed positions in the Kodori Gorge on October 28 and 29, despite Georgian accusations. MFA Georgia Desk Chief Tereoken echoed the denial but added that "any side" could have sent planes over Kodori, prompting the embassy to comment that "to posit that they could be UFOs would be humorous if it were not for the seriousness of the violations.
Kodori Gorge, Georgia / Unidentified planes alleged to have violated Georgian airspace and bombed positions in the Kodori Gorge on October 28,29, 2001
On April 30, 2001, Carol Rosin and Jon Cypher sent a letter to a NASA official identified only as "Dan," announcing a Friday meeting and promising to deliver a package at no cost to NASA. A follow-up note, written on Renaissance Hotel stationery, transmitted the French COMETA report "UFOs and Defense: What Should We Prepare For?," originally published in July 1999 by G.S. Presse Communication. Rosin noted in her letter that she had served as spokesperson for Wernher von Braun during the last years of his life and had founded the Institute for Security and Cooperation in Outer Space in 1983.
Ventura, CA 93001 / Unidentified flying objects (UFOs), atmospheric phenomena whose origin cannot be attributed to a human source or identified natural mechanism
The 30th Space Wing Office of History compiled a launch summary covering all launches at Vandenberg Air Force Base from 1958 through 2000. The document defines launch vehicle types, test categories, and program abbreviations, and lists military and contractor recipients including Aerospace Corporation, Boeing Defense and Space Group, ITT Federal Services Corporation, and TRW. The report was dated February 3, 2000, and released by the Department of War.
Vandenberg Air Force Base / Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
Research Triangle Institute prepared this final report for the Air Force's 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg AFB and 45th Space Wing at Patrick AFB, completed September 10, 1996, under Contract No. FO4703-91-C-0112. The report describes how "Mode-5 failure responses," meaning significant vehicle deviations from the intended flight line, are modeled in RTI's risk-analysis program DAMP, using two shaping constants calibrated by trial and error against simulated malfunctions for vehicles including Atlas IIAS, Delta-GEM, Titan IV, and LLV1.
Patrick AFB, FL 32925 / Atlas IIAS space-launch vehicle, subject of Mode-5 malfunction-turn simulations and shaping-constant optimization
On January 27, 1994, the crew of a Tajik Air 747SP at latitude 45 North, longitude 55 East over Kazakhstan reported encountering a bright light of enormous intensity that approached from the east at great speed and higher altitude, then maneuvered in circles, corkscrews, and 90-degree turns for approximately forty minutes. Captain Ed Rhodes photographed the object with a pocket Olympus camera and intended to send copies to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe and the Tajikistan Desk contact Lowry Taylor.
Kazakhstan / Bright light of enormous intensity
A May 20, 1986 newsletter from the Pajarito Astronomers of Los Alamos, New Mexico announces a club meeting scheduled for May 29, 1986, at 7:30 p.m. in the Ranch Room at Fuller Lodge. Guest speaker Dr. John Warren of AT-6 was to address the topic "Why Should a Scientist be Concerned about UFO's?" The newsletter's closing signature block is redacted, with two lines blacked out following "Sincerely."
Los Alamos, NM /
On January 28, 1985, the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby cabled USCINCPAC in Honolulu reporting that Papua New Guinea's National Intelligence Organization had inquired about sightings of high-altitude, high-speed aircraft over PNG on the evening of January 24. The PNG NIO described "various reports of UAP," including fast-moving objects with lights, contrails, and noise, and placed particular credence in an Air Niugini pilot whose radar picked up aircraft flying south to north at high altitude and high speed over Angoram.
Papua New Guinea / High-altitude, high-speed aircraft
Excerpts from three NASA Skylab technical crew debriefings, dated June 30, 1973, October 4, 1973, and February 22, 1974, record crew observations of light flashes, a bright reddish rotating object, and flashing lights outside the station. Science Pilot Joseph Kerwin reported that all three Skylab 2 crew members saw light flashes, possibly linked to the South Atlantic anomaly. Science Pilot Owen Garriott reported that the Skylab 3 crew tracked a bright reddish rotating satellite in a very similar orbit for 5 to 10 minutes; Garriott stated no one ever explained its identity.
Skylab space station, low Earth orbit / Light flashes seen with eyes closed in darkness, waxing and waning in frequency, two or three per minute at times; some appeared as spots or sunbursts, some as streaks; primarily in peripheral visual field (Skylab 2)
At the Apollo 17 Crew Debriefing for Science on January 8, 1973, at Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Dick Henry, co-investigator on the ultraviolet experiment, reported that the UV spectrum observed at high galactic latitudes resembled the spectrum of a hot star, but no hot stars were within the field of view.
High galactic latitudes (North Galactic Pole and South Galactic Pole) / Unexpected UV spectrum at high galactic latitudes resembling the spectrum of a hot star, with no hot stars within the field of view
During the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans reported "very bright particles or fragments or something" drifting past the spacecraft during a maneuver at Day 00, 03:34:10. Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt described the view as looking "like the Fourth of July," while Mission Commander Eugene Cernan estimated the fragments as "flat, flakelike particles," some possibly 6 inches across and twinkling. Evans speculated the fragments might be ice chunks or paint from the S-IVB stage but called that "a wild guess."
Moon / Very bright particles or fragments drifting near spacecraft during maneuver, described as jagged, angular, tumbling slowly, some possibly 6 inches across, flat and flakelike, twinkling, moving away from spacecraft
At the Apollo 17 Technical Crew Debriefing on January 4, 1973, Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt told NASA debriefers that the crew had light flashes "just about continuously during the whole flight" when dark adapted, and that he believed one was a flash on the lunar surface. Schmitt noted no flashes were visible to himself or the other two crewmen during the ALFMED blindfold experiment interval, though the flashes resumed for him before sleep that same night. Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans separately described seeing a fireball through the rendezvous window that appeared as "a tunnel with a bright spot in the middle."
Lunar surface / Light flashes observed near-continuously during dark-adapted periods throughout the flight
A former Soviet citizen reported observing an unidentified sharp green circular object or mass in the sky over Site 7 at the Sary Shagan weapons testing range in the USSR sometime between November 1972 and November 1973. The source stepped outside while watching a Canada-USSR televised sports competition and saw the object to the west at approximately 70 degrees elevation; within 10 to 15 seconds the green circle widened and several green concentric circles formed around the mass, which faded within minutes with no associated sound. The source had no opinion as to what the phenomenon was, and there were no resultant rumors.
Sary Shagan Weapons Testing Range, USSR / Unidentified sharp (bright) green circular object or mass in the sky, situated west of Site 7 at an angle of sighting of approximately 70 degrees; altitude undeterminable; diameter not estimated; within 10 to 15 seconds the green circle widened and several green concentric circles formed around the mass; coloring disappeared within minutes; no associated sound
In November 1969, during Apollo 12's fifth mission day, Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean reported an "all s flash" pulsing every second on both the address and information registers of the AGS, at about one-fifth the brilliance of the normal numbers. Houston attributed the phenomenon to EMI, citing similar observations during ground testing of spacecraft at Bethpage. On the sixth day, Command Module Pilot Dick Gordon reported that the Lunar Module Intrepid's blinking tracking light had stopped blinking and he could not acquire Intrepid in the sextant.
Moon / Particles and flashes of light observed via the Alignment Optical Telescope (AOT), described as 'sailing off in space' and characterized as 'escaping the Moon'
During the Apollo 11 Technical Crew Debriefing on July 31, 1969, Buzz Aldrin described three observations from the mission. Approximately one day from the Moon, the crew spotted an object of sizeable dimension that appeared L-shaped through the monocular and like a hollow cylinder through the sextant; ground control confirmed the S-IVB stage was 6,000 miles away, and the crew reached no conclusion about the object's size, range, or identity. Aldrin also reported recurring small flashes of light inside the darkened cabin, spaced roughly a minute apart, which he guessed were caused by some penetration of an object into the spacecraft.
Translunar coast (approximately 1 day from the Moon) / Unidentified object of sizeable dimension observed approximately 1 day out from the Moon; appeared L-shaped or like an open suitcase through the monocular; appeared as a hollow cylinder or two connected rings when viewed through the sextant (possibly due to focus); tumbling motion observed; size and range could not be determined
On October 3, 1966, the FBI Los Angeles Division sent a memo to the FBI Director transmitting Issue No. 24 of Flying Saucers International, the official journal of the Amalgamated Flying Saucer Clubs of America, Inc., edited by Gabriel Green at 2004 N. Hoover St., Los Angeles. The magazine had been delivered to the FBI Philadelphia Division on September 19, 1966, by Jarvis H. Cooper, an IRS employee in Philadelphia, who said pages 2 and 3 contained an article he believed expounded the Communist Party line.
Los Angeles, California / Flying Saucers International, Issue No. 24, dated July 1966, official journal of the Amalgamated Flying Saucer Clubs of America, Inc.
Section 10 of FBI case file 62-HQ-83894 contains the program for the AFSCA 3rd National Flying Saucer Convention, held July 8-10, 1966, at the Centennial Coliseum in Reno, Nevada, along with a citizen letter and the Bureau's reply. On August 31, 1966, Florence C. Dow of Goffstown, New Hampshire, wrote to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover stating that her first issue of the AFSCA journal "Flying Saucers International" struck her as Communist-backed.
Centennial Coliseum, 4590 S. Virginia St., Reno, Nevada / Flying saucers / unidentified flying objects (general subject of convention and correspondence)
At 4 hours 24 minutes into the Gemini 7 flight in December 1965, Commander Frank Borman reported "a bogey at ten o'clock high" to Houston, confirmed it as "an actual sighting," and described hundreds of small particles passing to the left at three to four miles, traveling at 90 degrees to the vehicle's path and going into polar orbit. Pilot James Lovell separately identified the Titan II booster at the two o'clock position as a brilliant, slowly tumbling body with trillions of particles on it.
Low Earth Orbit / Bogey at ten o'clock high (unidentified object, distinct from booster)
FBI Special Agent D. Arthur Byrnes, Jr. documented a report from Officer Lonnie Zamora of the Socorro Police Department concerning an unknown object that "landed and has taken off" about one mile southwest of Socorro, New Mexico, on April 24, 1964. Zamora described an aluminum-white, egg-shaped object on or near the ground, two persons in white coveralls nearby, a blue-orange flame and loud roar during ascent, and a red insignia resembling the letter "A" on the object's surface.
Socorro, New Mexico / Egg- or oval-shaped object, smooth, no windows or doors, aluminum-white in color (not chrome)
On July 18, 1963, Maxwell W. Hunter II of the National Aeronautics and Space Council sent a memorandum to Robert F. Packard at the State Department's Office of International Scientific Affairs, titled "Thoughts on the Space Alien Race Question." The memo outlines three types of potential alien contact scenarios and argues that diplomatic policy would need to differ for each, ranging from chemical-propulsion Martians to a faster-than-light race, for which Hunter writes "our policy had better be to negotiate fast.
Washington, D.C. / Flying saucers (referenced as claimed evidence of alien beings by advocates)
David Weaver, age 23, of 15801 Decosta, Detroit, Michigan, telephoned the FBI Detroit office at 4:08 A.M. on April 17, 1958, to report seeing a circular object with a crystal-type dome that reflected lights. He said the object traveled from the southwest in a northern direction, crossing the city three blocks south of Six Mile Road at Lamphere Street. Weaver told the FBI he had first tried to reach Selfridge Field Air Force base but could not get through, and that he was on his way home from work when he saw the object. SA Robert Ross Reynolds authored the memorandum to SAC Detroit and recommended notifying Air Force authorities.
Detroit, Michigan / Circular object with a crystal-type dome that reflected lights, traveling in a northern direction from the southwest, crossing the city three blocks south of Six Mile at Lamphere Street
On November 20, 1957, the FBI Legal Attache in Havana reported that Jose Maria Nieto and Carmelo Guzman had told the Havana newspaper Diario de la Marina they saw a flying disc in the shape of a man's hat hovering silently over Matahambre, Pinar del Rio Province, Cuba, before it disappeared at high speed toward the sea. An FBI memo dated November 12, 1957, from R. R. Roach to A. H. Belmont noted a surge in flying saucer and UFO reports across the United States following the Soviet release of Sputnik, which Air Force Intelligence told the Bureau were all resolved as nonauthentic.
Pinar del Rio, Cuba / Flying disc in the shape of a man's hat, larger than ordinary airplanes, completely silent, disappeared at very high speed towards the sea, Matahambre, Cuba, November 11, 1957
Air Intelligence Information Report IR 193-55, dated 14 October 1955 and prepared by Lt. Col. Thomas S. Ryan of the U.S. Air Attache office in Prague, documents an eyewitness account of two round, circular unconventional aircraft resembling flying saucers seen at 1910 hours on 1 October 1955 between Atjaty and Adzhijabul in the Trans-Caucasus region of the USSR. Senator Richard Russell, Lt. Col. E.U. Hathaway, and Mr. Ruben Efron observed the disc aircraft ascending almost vertically one minute apart, with outer surfaces revolving slowly to the right, two stationary lights near the top, and sparks or flame from the bottom.
Trans-Caucasus region, USSR / Round, circular disc-shaped aircraft resembling a flying saucer or flying disc; outer surface revolving slowly clockwise (to the right) during ascent; two stationary lights near the top of the disc located approximately one-third inward from each edge along the diameter; no protrusions, sticks, or bulges observed; sparks or flame seen coming from the bottom during ascent; ascended almost vertically at relatively slow speed to approximately 6,000 feet (2,000 meters), then sharply increased speed
In July and August 1954, the FBI Cincinnati Field Office and Washington Field Office documented reports from civilian informant Thomas Eickhoff concerning flying saucer lecturers Truman Bethurum and George Hunt Williamson, and from Navy Security Officer John Hutson concerning Frances Swan's claimed thought transmission contact with beings designated "AFFA" and "PONNAR," commanders of ships M-4 and L-11. Eickhoff reported attending a luncheon at the Terrace Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati on June 7, 1954, where Bethurum and Williamson stated their story was factual and consented to government scrutiny.
Cincinnati, Ohio / Flying saucers or discs reported by multiple witnesses
On August 9, 1952, the FBI Savannah field office sent an urgent teletype to Director Hoover reporting that two employees of E. I. Du Pont Company saw a blue light with an orange fringe shaped like a saucer fly over the Four Hundred Area of the Savannah River Plant AEC facility at approximately 9:30 PM on August 8. Between August 11 and August 20, 1952, Hoover forwarded letters from multiple citizens about flying saucers and flying disks to the Director of Special Investigations, The Inspector General, Department of the Air Force.
Savannah River Plant, AEC, South Carolina / Blue light with an orange fringe shaped like a saucer, flying at a high rate of speed in a northeastern direction over the Four Hundred Area of the Savannah River Plant
Serial 403 of FBI case 62-HQ-83894 consists of the dust jacket and promotional text from Gray Barker's 1956 book "They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers," published by University Books, Inc. of New York. The jacket text states that flying saucer researchers who challenged government denial were silenced after visits from "three men in dark suits," and that Barker began his research in 1952 after a flying saucer allegedly landed near his home in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Barker is identified as a Clarksburg businessman who also published a flying saucer periodical called The Saucerian.
Clarksburg, West Virginia / Flying saucers allegedly landing near Clarksburg, West Virginia, circa 1952, as described in Barker's book
FBI internal memos from 1950 document OSI concern over green fireballs and discs appearing near sensitive installations in New Mexico. Dr. Lincoln La Paz of the University of New Mexico concluded that roughly half the recorded phenomena were meteoric; the remainder he attributed to possible U.S. guided missiles or, if that interpretation was wrong, to guided missiles launched from the Ural region of the USSR.
New Mexico / Round object approximately six feet in diameter (also described as six feet in circumference), descending slowly, resembling a parachute at first glance, landing without bending weeds or grass
On March 19, 1950, Miguel Angel Garcia Macias, a pianist, composer, and self-described ideographic inventor from Veracruz, Mexico, wrote to the President of the Commission of Scientific Investigation of the United States of North America in New York, describing his concept of stratospheric aerostats and attributing flying saucers to U.S. atomic technology. The letter, translated by Mrs. Sophia Saliba, was received by the FBI New York Field Office by April 7, 1950, and filed under case 62-HQ-83894, Serial 220.
Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico / Flying saucer / flying disk described as a double truncated cone joined at its bases, observed over Durango at an altitude of 8,000 to 9,000 feet above street level
In July, August, and September 1949, and again in January 1950, military and civilian witnesses filed reports under Flight Service Regulation 200-4 describing flying objects over Kansas, Washington, Oregon, Ohio, South Carolina, and New York. Objects were described variously as dish-shaped, circular, and cylindrical, with reported speeds exceeding that of a B-29 and, in one case, an orange and white flame exhaust more than twice the length of the object. Reports were submitted by Lowry, Olmsted, McChord, Maxwell, and Wright-Patterson Flight Service Centers to the Commanding General, Air Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Kansas City, Kansas / Two motionless objects over Olathe, Kansas; stationary for ten to fifteen minutes then moved off very fast (6 January 1950)
On July 24, 1949, a fireball was reported over the general neighborhood of Socorro, New Mexico at 8:26 p.m. Researchers W. D. Crozier and Ben K. Seely of the New Mexico School of Mines then made systematic airborne particle collections at Socorro from July 25 through August 1, finding copper-bearing opaque particles and three apparently perfect spherical cobalt-indication particles twelve microns in diameter in the July 26 afternoon collection.
Campbell Air Force Base, Camp Campbell, Kentucky / Green fireball reported passing over the general neighborhood of Socorro, New Mexico at 8:26 p.m. on July 24, 1949
FBI headquarters file 62-HQ-83894, Section 5, contains 1949 investigative records on flying saucers, including a letter Walter Winchell received from Peter Camerlon Jones of Los Angeles, who claimed to have seen a large silver object shaped like a child's top in the mountains near Los Angeles in August 1947. D. M. Ladd directed the Los Angeles field office to discreetly check Jones's background and interview him, but efforts to locate Jones were negative. The FBI wrote to Ernest Cuneo on July 21, 1949, suggesting the original letter may have been a prank.
Los Angeles, California / Large silver metal object, greenish in color, shaped like a child's top, approximately the size of a County Fair balloon, with two windows, portions of metal appearing transparent, resembling a pressure chamber; silent propulsion; knocked observer to the ground on departure (August 1947, mountains near Los Angeles)
On February 15, 1949, the U.S. Air Force Directorate of Intelligence in Washington, D.C. issued Air Intelligence Requirements Memorandum Number 4, titled "Unconventional Aircraft." The memorandum established reporting procedures for sightings of unconventional aircraft, unidentified flying objects, and "Flying Discs," directing reports to Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, attention MCIAXO-3, with copies to the Director of Intelligence.
Washington 25, D.C. / Unconventional aircraft
On 4 November 1948, USAFE transmitted intelligence cable TT #1524 to General Cabell and the USAF Directorate of Intelligence. Three crews of the 307th Bomb Group had sighted an aircraft on 5 September 1948 off the west coast of Holland at 30,000 feet, assessed as a single jet-propelled aircraft employing probable rocket assists, rated B-2. The cable also reported a flying saucer hovering over Neubiberg Air Base for about thirty minutes, and relayed the Swedish Air Intelligence Service's conclusion that such phenomena "cannot be credited to any presently known culture on earth."
West coast of Holland, 5155N/0355E / Unidentified aircraft sighted at 1402Z 5 Sep 48 off west coast of Holland at 30,000 feet altitude; initially cruising at normal jet speed on heading 120 degrees; subsequently left smoke trails and condensation trails with sudden acceleration and climb; assessed as single jet-propelled aircraft employing probable rocket assists with tremendous reserve power beyond normal cruising speed for jets of the 1947 variety; never within identification range
On 18 February 1948 at 5:01 P.M., an aerial explosion occurred over Norcatur, Kansas, logged as Incident 101 by the Department of War. Farmer Leland Sammons reported a funnel-shaped object roughly four feet long, with a pipe at the rear and fire belching from it, hovering near his farmhouse before departing northwest and exploding in a cloud of smoke. Beginning 24 April 1948, meteorite fragments were recovered, including a 109-pound achondrite piece found two feet underground in a clover field. Civilian Norman Garrett Markham wrote to the Office of the Chief of Staff speculating the object may have been a rocket or space-craft.
Norcatur, Kansas / Mushroom-shaped bluish-white smoke smudge at altitude of 30,35 miles above earth
A correspondent wrote to James L. Tuck at Los Alamos reporting several sightings of green lights in the Jemez Mountains between 1948 and 1951, typically between 9 and 11 PM, and one afternoon sighting of five objects flying in formation from southeast to northwest over Los Alamos. The writer directed Tuck to Protective Force logs as the record of times and dates, and named redacted Protective Force members as witnesses.
Los Alamos, New Mexico / Green lights observed in the Jemez Mountains during early evening hours (9,11 PM), 1948,1951; seen waving in and out of mountain peaks
Headquarters Eleventh Air Force forwarded a report to USAF Headquarters and Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in May and June 1948 documenting a flying disc sighting at Hobson, Ohio on the night of 8 May 1948. The report, sourced from FBI Special Agent D.K. Brown in Cleveland, described a round, phosphorescent object appearing nine inches in diameter from ground level, traveling at heading 90 degrees at an altitude of 6 to 8 miles, witnessed by New York Central System employees and a patrolman.
Hobson, Ohio / Round shape, appeared to be nine inches in diameter from ground level, phosphorescent color, great amount of speed, heading 90 degrees, altitude 6 to 8 miles, phosphorescent trail in the sky (Hobson, Ohio, night of 8 May 1948)
On September 11, 1947, Portland Police Department officers in Districts 18 and 14, including Chief of Police Leon V. Jenkins, reported sighting a round silver object over Portland, Oregon between 5:21 and 5:27 PM. In July 1947, pilot Jack Peck and co-pilot Vince Daly of the Al Jones Flying Company observed a flying wing object near Bethel Airport, Alaska, describing it as approximately the size of a C-54 without any fuselage, flying at 1,000 feet at an estimated 300 miles per hour with no propeller, jet exhaust, or vapor trails.
Portland, Oregon / Round silver object, approximately 10,000 feet high, travelling northeast to southwest, changed to egg-shaped as it turned, disappeared in about 30 seconds (Jenkins, Portland)
On 4 August 1947 at 1600 EDT, Pan American Airways Captain Alpheus O. Powell and navigator Walter I. White separately sighted flying objects near Boston while piloting a Constellation from Gander, Newfoundland to La Guardia Field. Powell described his object as cylindrical, blunt at both ends, roughly the length of a P-40 fuselage, and bright orange; White described his as elliptical, deep gold, and approximately 15 feet long. Air Defense Command at Mitchel Field, New York interviewed both men and issued summaries of information on 12 and 15 September 1947.
Approximately midway between Everett (Mass) Fan Marker and Bedford Radio Beacon, approximately 10 miles NW of Boston, Massachusetts / Cylindrical in shape, blunt at both ends, approximately the length of a P-40 fuselage, bright orange hue, definite shape with no suggestion of gaseous dissipation, observed at approximately 7,800 feet altitude, estimated course 200° magnetic, estimated speed approximately 150 mph (Powell description)
On July 9, 1947, Raymond Edward Lane, a Dow Chemical Company employee, and his wife Laura reported hearing a puff noise and seeing a ball of white about the size of a bushel basket burning a foot off the ground in a Dow-owned field in Midland, Michigan. Lane brought recovered material to the Dow Physics Laboratory the next day; laboratory examination found ordinary sand, a small silver nugget, melted sand droplets giving off ammonia odor, and a grayish radioactive material. The FBI Detroit Division reported the incident to the Director on August 5, 1947, and recommended forwarding the material to the War Department.
Hackensack, New Jersey / Round, black object, approximately thirty to forty inches in diameter, moving south to north in a horizontal plane about two hundred yards above the ground, no rays emitted, steady rate of movement, Hackensack, NJ, August 3, 1947 (Casella account)
On 8 July 1947, multiple witnesses at Muroc Army Air Field, California reported seeing silver disc-like or spherical objects at approximately 8,000 feet, traveling northwest toward Mojave at 300 to 400 MPH. Witnesses included 1st Lt Joseph C. McHenry, S/Sgt Gerald E. Nauman, T/Sgt Joseph Ruvolo, Jannette Marie Scott, S/Sgt Joseph Ruvero, and Major Richard R. Shoop, whose sighting occurred at approximately noon. The observations are recorded across at least four numbered incident check-lists by the Department of War; Incident #1b is evaluated as "Confirmed by other sources."
Muroc Air Field, Muroc, California / 2 silver objects of either spherical or disc-like shape, approximately 8000 ft altitude, speed approximately 300 MPH, heading approximately 320° due north, apparently metallic, no exhaust trails, no sound
FBI headquarters case file 62-HQ-83894 collects press clippings, public letters, and internal memos concerning "flying disc" and "flying saucer" reports across the United States in July 1947. Reports include Rev. Joseph Brasky of Grafton, Wisconsin, who told the United Press he found an 18-inch metal disc with "gadgets and some wires" in his churchyard and was holding it for the FBI. Civilian Fred R. Reibold wrote to the Bureau describing a flaming circular object that fell in the street in Cornola, Nebraska on July 1, 1947; Director Hoover forwarded that letter to the War Department's Director of Intelligence on August 5, 1947.
Grafton, Wisconsin / Round metal disc approximately 18 inches in diameter resembling a circular saw blade, with a hole about one inch in diameter in the middle containing gadgets and wires, weighing about four or five pounds and about one-eighth inch thick, found in churchyard at Grafton, Wisconsin
In July 1947, W.R. Presley of 218 Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, photographed what the Knoxville News-Sentinel called a flying saucer. Presley had been photographing his family and house and used his last frame on a shot of a nearby mountain; when the roll was developed, a bright circular object appeared in that final image. The newspaper reported it as the first time a flying saucer had ever been photographed over Oak Ridge and noted that the picture had "all of Oak Ridge talking." The FBI Knoxville Field Office forwarded two prints and a photostatic copy of the newspaper clipping to FBI Headquarters under an Internal Security file.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee / Flying saucer photographed over Oak Ridge; appears as a bright, circular object in the sky in a black-and-white photograph taken by Mr. Presley while photographing a mountain with his remaining film exposure
On August 25, 1947, Lt. Col. Donald L. Springer of Headquarters Fourth Air Force, A-2 Intelligence, Hamilton Field, forwarded to the FBI SAC in San Francisco a letter from F. M. Johnson, a prospector who wrote from Portland, Oregon on August 20, 1947, reporting that he had observed flying discs in the Ft. Adams district on June 24, 1947, the same date as the Kenneth Arnold sighting. Johnson described the objects as round, about 30 feet in diameter, tapering to a point at the head end, with a bright top surface, no engine noise, and a tail object shifting side to side like a big magnet.
Ft. Adams district (prospector sighting location, June 24, 1947) / Flying objects described as round, approximately 30 feet in diameter, tapering sharply to a point at the head end, oval shape, with a bright top surface; no engine noise; object at tail end resembling a large hand or block shifting side to side like a big magnet; speed greater than anything previously observed; last seen standing on edge banking into a cloud (F.M. Johnson, Ft. Adams district, June 24, 1947)
FBI headquarters file 62-HQ-83894 compiles sighting reports, media clippings, and investigative memos covering incidents from 1947 through 1968. Reported incidents include American Airlines pilot Capt. Peter Killian's account of three shining saucer-like objects trailing his DC6 for 45 minutes in February 1958, the Coast Guard cutter Sebago tracking an object on radar for 27 minutes in the Gulf of Mexico at an estimated 1,000 miles per hour, and grain buyer R. O. Schmidt's claim of encountering a cigar-shaped craft near Kearney, Nebraska, in November 1957.
Grand Blanc, Michigan / Color-slide photograph of a saucer-like object silhouetted against the moon, taken in February during the second night of the full moon, Grand Blanc, Michigan
On September 23, 1947, Lt. Gen. N. F. Twining of Air Materiel Command at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, transmitted a letter to Headquarters Army Air Forces stating that the flying disc phenomenon "is something real and not visionary or fictitious," describing observed objects as disc-shaped, flying in formations of three to nine at speeds above 300 knots. On December 30, 1947, Maj. Gen. L. C. Craigie directed AMC to establish Project SION, priority 2A, classified "restricted," to collect and distribute flying disc sighting data. Photographs submitted by Mary L.
Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio / Objects probably approximating the shape of a disc, of such appreciable size as to appear to be as large as man-made aircraft
Headquarters Air Material Command, Dayton, Ohio transmitted Incident Summary Sheets 173 through 233 on March 9, 1949, covering sightings from September 1945 through October 1948. Observers in Louisiana, New Mexico, and California reported objects described variously as aluminum-colored and metallic, cone-shaped and encased in flame, perfectly circular and flat, bright silvery and egg-shaped, and amoeba-like with oscillating appendages. The summary sheets record no determination of what the objects were.
3 miles SW of SEATTLE-FORT, Louisiana / Incident 173: One object, approximately 12 feet in diameter, aluminum in color, metallic, smooth horizontal flight southward, no exhaust trail, viewed with binoculars at 50,60° above horizon, estimated altitude 20,000 feet, speed 100,150 mph, time in sight 10,15 seconds.
SHAEF Air Staff file 37153 contains messages and memorandums from December 1944 through March 1945 documenting reports of "night phenomena (foofighters)" by crews of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron over the European Theater. Crews described blinking lights that changed colors and flew in formation with their aircraft, reddish flames, red balls of fire, and arrow-like light formations. On 1 March 1945, HQ IX TAC reported that pilots observed an aluminum-colored cylinder-shaped object approximately 12 feet long floating at 9,000 feet, which was attacked, partially deflated, and produced a red flame without smoke.
European Theater of Operations (ETO) / Blinking lights that changed colors, flew in formation with aircraft, came very close, reported by 415th Night Fighter Squadron crews
In a November 7, 1957 interview conducted by SA Cassius Rathbun, Wladyslaw Krasuski of 5457 Joseph Campau, Detroit, described witnessing a circular vehicle rise vertically from a tarpaulin-enclosed compound near Gut Alt Golssen, approximately 30 miles east of Berlin, circa 1944, while held there as a Polish prisoner of war. The vehicle was circular, 75 to 100 yards in diameter and about 14 feet high, with a rapidly moving middle section producing a continuous blur similar to an aeroplane propeller.
Gut Alt Golssen, approximately 30 miles east of Berlin, Germany / Circular vehicle, 75 to 100 yards in diameter, approximately 14 feet high; dark gray stationary top and bottom sections each five to six feet high; approximately three-foot middle section appearing as a rapidly moving component producing a continuous blur similar to an aeroplane propeller extending the circumference of the vehicle; observed rising slowly vertically from a circular enclosure approximately 100 to 150 yards in diameter, then moving slowly horizontally; observed from approximately