DOW-UAP-PR45, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020

Plain-English Summary

• What happened:The Department of the Air Force submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of 58 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation. Video Description: 00:00-00:03: The sensor tracks an area of contrast acquiring a reticle lock. 00:04-00:30: The area of contrast gradually increases in distinctiveness against the background. 00:31: The sensor narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast. 00:32-00:56: The area of contrast increases in apparent size and distinctiveness. 00:57-00:58: The area of contrast leaves the center of the frame and passes out of the sensor field-of-view, exiting the scene in the bottom right corner of the screen. This video description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance. AARO Comment: The area of contrast’s apparent increase in size is likely to be at least partially attributable to the U.S. platform closing the distance between itself and the source of the detection.
• Who reported it:Department of War
• What evidence exists:video
• What the government says:The Department of the Air Force submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of 58 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation. Video Description: 00:00-00:03: The sensor tracks an area of contrast acquiring a reticle lock. 00:04-00:30: The area of contrast gradually increases in distinctiveness against the background. 00:31: The sensor narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast. 00:32-00:56: The area of contrast increases in apparent size and distinctiveness. 00:57-00:58: The area of contrast leaves the center of the frame and passes out of the sensor field-of-view, exiting the scene in the bottom right corner of the screen. This video description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance. AARO Comment: The area of contrast’s apparent increase in size is likely to be at least partially attributable to the U.S. platform closing the distance between itself and the source of the detection.
• What remains unclear:Not provided in source.

Key Facts

Title

DOW-UAP-PR45, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020

Release

Release 01

Release date

2026-05-08

Incident date

—

Agency

Department of War

Location

Southern United States

Location precision

region_only

Status

unknown

Source domain

war.gov

Media Gallery

• dvids_video
  Unresolved UAP Report, Southern United States, 2020
  View originalwww.dvidshub.net↗

Skeptical / Mundane Explanations

Editorial draft pending.

What we still don't know

Editorial draft pending.

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