UNCLASSIFIED // PUBLIC RELEASERELEASE 02 · MAY 22, 2026
PENTAGON UFO FILE · VIDEO · DOW-UAP-PR069F/A-18 FLIR UAP
The title of this clip names a well-known combination: an F/A-18, the Navy and Marine Corps strike fighter, and FLIR, the forward-looking infrared camera such jets carry in a targeting pod. Several of the best-known Navy UAP videos came from the same kind of system. AARO does not confirm the aircraft type; it says the footage likely came from an infrared sensor on a U.S. military platform operating in U.S. Northern Command’s area in 2022, the command responsible for North America.
Lock on, lock lost
The whole clip is under half a minute. The sensor pans to follow a patch of contrast. When 14 seconds have passed, a reticle — the box the tracking system draws to show it has locked on — appears around the target. At 27 seconds the reticle loses its lock, and the clip ends shortly afterwards. AARO describes no second object, no title cards and no editing.
Losing a lock can have many causes, from the target’s contrast fading to the aircraft maneuvering; the description does not say which applied here.
Context
The video was posted on a classified network in July 2023 and reached the public only after eight House members requested specific records in March 2026 and AARO searched for them. No date more precise than the year, no location within North America and no crew account are given. AARO stresses its timeline is not an analytical conclusion. For how this camera type works, see FLIR; other clips are at videos.
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, “F/A-18 FLIR UAP,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Northern Command area of responsibility in 2022. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in July 2023.
Video Duration: 00:00:29 Video Description: A sensor pans to track an area of contrast. At the 14 second mark, a reticle surrounds the area of contrast. At the 27 second mark, the reticle loses its track on 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.