
Case file · wargov-r01-101-dow-uap-pr44-unresolved-uap-report-middle-east-2020
DOW-UAP-PR44, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 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 five minutes and 11 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: This video features incidentally recorded audio, which does not relate to the visual content described below. 00:00-00:30: No content. 00:31-03:24: The sensor pans down and to the right to focus on an area of contrast. The sensor tracks the area of contrast against the background for approximately three minutes, panning to maintain its position generally within the center of the frame. The sensor cycles contrast and zoom levels several times throughout, appearing as brief, bright white flashes across the frame. 03:25-04:23: The sensor cycles through reticles of various sizes while continuing to track the area of contrast. Between 04:20 and 04:23, the area of contrast briefly leaves the center of the sensor field-of-view. 04:24-04:50: The sensor field-of-view widens to zoom out from the scene, continuing to track the area of contrast. 04:50-04:54: The sensor stops tracking the area of contrast, at which point it exits the frame from the top left quadrant of the screen. 04:55-05:11: No content. 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 five minutes and 11 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: This video features incidentally recorded audio, which does not relate to the visual content described below. 00:00-00:30: No content. 00:31-03:24: The sensor pans down and to the right to focus on an area of contrast. The sensor tracks the area of contrast against the background for approximately three minutes, panning to maintain its position generally within the center of the frame. The sensor cycles contrast and zoom levels several times throughout, appearing as brief, bright white flashes across the frame. 03:25-04:23: The sensor cycles through reticles of various sizes while continuing to track the area of contrast. Between 04:20 and 04:23, the area of contrast briefly leaves the center of the sensor field-of-view. 04:24-04:50: The sensor field-of-view widens to zoom out from the scene, continuing to track the area of contrast. 04:50-04:54: The sensor stops tracking the area of contrast, at which point it exits the frame from the top left quadrant of the screen. 04:55-05:11: No content. 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-PR44, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020
- Release
- Release 01
- Release date
- 2026-05-08
- Incident date
- —
- Agency
- Department of War
- Location
- Arabian Gulf
- Location precision
- region_only
- Status
- unknown
- Source domain
- war.gov
Media Gallery
- dvids_videoUnresolved UAP Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020
Skeptical / Mundane Explanations
No mundane explanation has been documented for this record yet. The original source is linked above — weigh the evidence for yourself.
What we still don't know
Open questions haven't been catalogued for this record yet. What the released material does and doesn't establish is summarized above.
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Last updated 2026-05-09 04:28:08.572589+00
