UNCLASSIFIED // PUBLIC RELEASERELEASE 02 · MAY 22, 2026
PENTAGON UFO FILE · VIDEO · DOW-UAP-PR08831 AUG [CALLSIGN] [CALLSIGN] Observes UAP
The uploader saved this recording as “31 AUG 2020 [CALLSIGN] [CALLSIGN] Observes UAP,” and a second file from the same day is marked “part2” (DOW-UAP-PR089). AARO places both in U.S. Central Command’s area in 2020, believes an infrared sensor on a U.S. military platform made them, and notes that both were posted on a classified network in August 2020, the same month as the date given.
From one target to many
Nothing is described for the first minute and 21 seconds. Then a patch of contrast enters at the top left, crosses the frame and leaves at the bottom. The operator cycles through zoom settings and another contrast area becomes visible in the lower half. At 02:48 a further one comes in from the left; the operator pans after this second target and lets the first drift out of the left edge. From 03:30 to the end, several contrast areas enter and leave the picture while the camera stays on the second one.
AARO does not count the objects or say whether any were seen more than once.
Context
Many small contrast areas moving through the view say nothing on their own about what the objects were; infrared shows heat differences, not detail. AARO’s timeline is not an analytical judgment, and no crew report or mission report is attached. For the sensor type, 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, “31 AUG 2020 [CALLSIGN] [CALLSIGN] Observes UAP,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Central Command area of responsibility in 2020. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in August 2020.
Video Duration: 00:04:58 Video Description: 00:00-01:21: No content. 01:22-01:55: An area of contrast enters the field-of-view in the upper left corner of the screen, transits the frame, and exits the bottom of the screen. 01:56-02:47: The sensor cycles its zoom level several times. An area of contrast becomes visible in the lower half of the screen. 02:48-03:08: Another area of contrast enters the field-of-view from the left side of the screen. 03:09-03:29: The sensor pans to track the second area of contrast. The first area of contrast exits the field-of-view at the left edge of the screen. 03:30-04:58: Several areas of contrast enter and exit the field-of-view. The sensor remains focused on the second-appearing 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.