DOW-UAP-PR36, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020

Plain-English Summary

• What happened:The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of two minutes and 17 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. An accompanying Range Fouler report, DoW-UAP-D38, described the UAP as a solid white object making erratic movements above the water. Video Description: 00:05: An area of contrast briefly enters the sensor field-of-view from the left side of the screen. 00:06-00:18: The sensor pans away from the scene’s initial subject matter while cycling contrast settings and zoom levels. 00:19: The area of contrast re-enters the sensor field-of-view from near the center of the top edge of the screen. 00:20-01:15: The area of contrast remains generally within the sensor field-of-view. 01:16: The sensor narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast. 01:56: The sensor further narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast. 02:10: A blue reticle briefly appears on screen but does not acquire a lock on the area of contrast. 02:15-02:17: The sensor switches to a different modality and loses track of the area of contrast. 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.
• Who reported it:Department of War
• What evidence exists:video
• What the government says:The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of two minutes and 17 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. An accompanying Range Fouler report, DoW-UAP-D38, described the UAP as a solid white object making erratic movements above the water. Video Description: 00:05: An area of contrast briefly enters the sensor field-of-view from the left side of the screen. 00:06-00:18: The sensor pans away from the scene’s initial subject matter while cycling contrast settings and zoom levels. 00:19: The area of contrast re-enters the sensor field-of-view from near the center of the top edge of the screen. 00:20-01:15: The area of contrast remains generally within the sensor field-of-view. 01:16: The sensor narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast. 01:56: The sensor further narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast. 02:10: A blue reticle briefly appears on screen but does not acquire a lock on the area of contrast. 02:15-02:17: The sensor switches to a different modality and loses track of the area of contrast. 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.
• What remains unclear:Not provided in source.

Key Facts

Title

DOW-UAP-PR36, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020

Release

Release 01

Release date

2026-05-08

Incident date

—

Agency

Department of War

Location

Middle East

Location precision

region_only

Status

unknown

Source domain

war.gov

Media Gallery

• video
  DOW-UAP-PR36, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020
  View originalwww.war.gov↗
• dvids_video
  Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020
  View originalwww.dvidshub.net↗

Skeptical / Mundane Explanations

Editorial draft pending.

What we still don't know

Editorial draft pending.

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