UNCLASSIFIED // PUBLIC RELEASERELEASE 01 · MAY 8, 2026
PENTAGON UFO FILE · VIDEO · DOW-UAP-PR036Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020
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Most of the CENTCOM files in this release are tied to mission reports, but this one comes with a Range Fouler debrief, DoW-UAP-D38. “Range fouler” is a U.S. Navy term for an unauthorized or unidentified aircraft or object that intrudes into an area reserved for training or operations. The reporter described a “solid white object” crossing the field of view and moving erratically above the water. The 2-minute-17-second video was recorded in May 2020 by an infrared sensor on a U.S. military platform; the linked report is filed under the Arabian Gulf.
What the footage shows
At five seconds a patch briefly enters from the left. The operator then pans away from whatever the camera was originally looking at, cycling contrast and zoom, and at 19 seconds the patch reappears from the top of the screen. It stays in view for nearly a minute. The operator zooms in at 1:16 and again at 1:56. At 2:10 a blue reticle appears but never locks on, and at 2:15 a change of sensor mode loses the target altogether.
Context
Range Fouler reports matter because they come from crews who were trying to keep an area clear for training or operations, so anything unexpected in that space gets written up. This record gives no identification, size or altitude, and AARO offers no conclusion beyond listing it as unresolved. See also UAP.
The official description
From war.gov/UFO, released May 8, 2026, quoted in full
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.