UNCLASSIFIED // PUBLIC RELEASERELEASE 01 · MAY 8, 2026
PENTAGON UFO FILE · DOCUMENT · DOW-UAP-D042Range Fouler Debrief, Japan, 2023
The release titles this file “Range Fouler Debrief, Japan, 2023,” but the form itself is dated August 31, 2020, and the catalogue places it in the Arabian Gulf. The squadron box reads 482ATKS, the same attack squadron behind several Gulf mission reports in the collection, and the grid of initial contact is partly redacted. The pilot, an O-2, was flying an ISR (surveillance) mission at dusk. The one-page form says identifying details are stripped before analysis and asks crews to save their display recordings.
What the pilot wrote
The narrative is three sentences long. The pilot saw an object fly through the screen and began tracking it. A second object of the same size and shape then overtook the first at much higher speed. At one point there were three objects on the screen together, “moving amongst each other.” The boxes ticked are “Other Shape” and “Apparent Propulsion.”
What the form lacks
The form gives a contact altitude of 18,000 and a direction and speed of “150/230,” but no description of color or shape, no duration and no account of how the encounter ended. The position fields are redacted. The mismatch between the title and the form’s own date and unit is worth noting for anyone citing it. For a crew from the same squadron reporting a moving formation, see DOW-UAP-D061.
The official description
From war.gov/UFO, released May 8, 2026, quoted in full
This document is a Range Fouler Debrief Form, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. These reports contain a narrative description of the observer’s experiences. A U.S. military operator reported observing an “object fly through the screen.” The observer described a second object surpassing the first, at a higher speed. The report describes a total of three UAP “moving amongst each other.” All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.