UNCLASSIFIED // PUBLIC RELEASERELEASE 02 · MAY 22, 2026
PENTAGON UFO FILE · VIDEO · DOW-UAP-PR053Cigar Shaped or Fast Spherical UAP clip 15 OCT 22
The uploader of this short clip could not decide what shape the object had, and the title says so: “Cigar Shaped or Fast Spherical.” AARO places the footage in U.S. Central Command’s area in October 2022, matching the date in the title, and says it most likely came from an infrared sensor on a U.S. military platform. It was posted on a classified network in June 2024 and surfaced when AARO searched for records named in a March 2026 House request.
One pass, three viewings
Everything happens in about three seconds. Between 00:01 and 00:04 a single patch of contrast — on infrared, something warmer or cooler than its surroundings — moves through the picture from left to right. The remaining time is the same pass replayed, first slowed down and then slowed further. AARO flags the file as digitally altered before upload and presents it as received.
No tracking, zooming or second object is described.
Why the shape stays open
A crossing this brief offers very few frames, and slowing it down adds no detail that was not captured. The title’s either-or is the uploader’s, and AARO adds no view of its own; its description is explicitly not an analytical judgment. AARO gives no range or speed, so nothing in the record bears on the “fast” in the title. On infrared footage in general, see FLIR.
The official description
From war.gov/UFO, released May 22, 2026, quoted in full
On March 6, 2026, eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records allegedly held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network. Many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “Cigar Shaped or Fast Spherical UAP clip 15 OCT 22,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Central Command area of responsibility in October 2022. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in June 2024.
Video Duration: 00:00:21 Video Description: This media was digitally altered prior to its upload to a classified network, and is presented as received.
00:01-00:04: An area of contrast transits the sensor field-of-view from left to right. 00:06-00:14: The video replays at a slower speed. 00:15-00:21: The video replays again at an even slower speed.
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.