UNCLASSIFIED // PUBLIC RELEASERELEASE 02 · MAY 22, 2026
PENTAGON UFO FILE · VIDEO · DOW-UAP-PR068IIR 1 666 S0151 23/Video Footage of Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) captured by fifth generation aircraft on 20 Jan 23
This clip’s title is a report number: “IIR 1 666 S0151 23.” An IIR, or Intelligence Information Report, is the standard format the U.S. military and intelligence agencies use to pass on raw, unevaluated information. The title adds that the footage was captured by a “fifth generation aircraft” — the class of stealthy, sensor-heavy fighters now in U.S. service — on 20 January 2023. AARO places it within U.S. Northern Command’s area, which covers the continental United States, Alaska, Canada and Mexico, in 2023.
A minute of tracking
For the first 31 seconds the sensor follows a patch of contrast and keeps it near the center. In the second half the target repeatedly slides out of the top of the frame and back again as the operator pans after it. At 00:48 a second contrast area shows up in the top right quarter of the picture. The description ends there; it does not say whether the two were related or what became of either.
The video was posted on a classified network in July 2023, about six months after the date in the title, and was among the materials AARO gathered after the March 2026 House request.
What the report number implies
The report number shows the sighting was written up in a formal intelligence report at the time, which is not true of every upload in this set. The release does not include the report itself, though, or any conclusion it reached. AARO’s description is not an analytical finding. Background on the office is under AARO.
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, “IIR 1 666 S0151 23/Video Footage of Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) captured by fifth generation aircraft on 20 Jan 23,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Northern Command area of responsibility in 2023. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in July 2023.
Video Duration: 00:01:03 Video Description: 00:00-00:31: A sensor tracks an area of contrast, keeping it generally within the center of the field-of-view. 00:32-01:03: The area of contrast briefly moves in and out of the field-of-view from the top of the frame as the sensor pans to track it. 00:48: A second area of contrast becomes visible in the upper right quarter of the screen.
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.