Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020
- Date
- 14 May 2020
- Place
- Middle East (form gives no precise coordinates; night mission, ATFLIR-equipped platform)
- Record
- Pentagon file
- Assessment
- Not assessed
- Evidence strength
What was reported
Two minutes 17 seconds of infrared video, paired with DOW-UAP-D038, a Navy 'Range Fouler Debrief' form (not a mission report) describing a solid white object making erratic movements above water at night. The aircrew achieved only an intermittent ATFLIR trackfile, briefly lost and reacquired the object, obtained a 4x zoom before losing track again due to poor track placement, and checked the 'Round' shape box while leaving metallic/reflective/translucent/markings boxes unchecked.
What officials concluded
No conclusion stated
The file gives no official explanation.
- Agency
- Department of War
- Released in
- 123456
Evidence profile
- No: Visual
- Yes: Infrared
- Yes: Radar
- No: Video
- No: Photo
- No: Film
- No: Audio
- No: Night vision
- No: Other sensor
- No: Civilian
- Yes: Military aircrew
- No: Military ground
- No: Airline crew
- Yes: Sensor operator
- No: Law enforcement
- No: Scientist
- No: Astronaut
- No: Intelligence official
- No: Other
- No: Light only
- No: Orb or sphere
- No: Disc
- No: Triangle
- No: Cylinder
- Yes: Cube
- No: Other shape
- No: Physiological
- No: Physical trace
- No: Electromagnetic
- No: Sound
- No: Silent
Why this rating Single sensor (ATFLIR only, radar box left unchecked), an admittedly 'intermittent' trackfile with 'poor track placement', and a form explicitly designed to capture ambiguous 'range fouler' contacts, not a confirmed anomaly; erratic low-level movement over water is also consistent with a bird, debris, or surface reflection.
As described in the file
- Witnesses
- One Navy ISR aircrew/sensor operator, unnamed, redacted
- Sensors
- ATFLIR (single sensor); radar-equipped box left unchecked, no radar corroboration recorded
- Shape
- Round (checkbox); solid white
- Lights and colour
- White
- Motion
- Erratic movements above the water
- Duration
- 2 min 17 sec released; contact 2020-05-14, 20:40:00Z per form
- Altitude or range
- Contact altitude field left blank/unclear on form
Pentagon files
DOW-UAP-PR036, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020
Open the original on war.gov
What the file claims
- Unverified
The debrief form describes an intermittent, difficult-to-maintain ATFLIR trackfile on a solid white object making erratic movements above water, with the sensor operator continuously re-adjusting to keep the object in frame.
- Unverified
The form's checkbox fields record only 'Round' shape and no metallic, reflective, translucent, or marking characteristics.
On the map
29.00° N, 45.00° E, plotted at the centre of the region named in the record
Show on the map