Description

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.

🏛️ Official U.S. government release — batch 1 (May 8, 2026)
Released by: Department of War
Official file: DOW-UAP-PR045
Where: Southern United States
Parts of this file are redacted by the government.