UNCLASSIFIED // PUBLIC RELEASERELEASE 06 · SEPTEMBER 18, 2026
PENTAGON UFO FILE · DOCUMENT · DOW-UAP-PR131Unresolved UAP Report, Iraq, 2022
This is the companion to DOW-UAP-PR130: another single infrared still from a U.S. military platform over Iraq in 2022, submitted by Central Command alongside the same mission report, DOW-UAP-D106. The operator who wrote it described objects moving “sporadically” around the target area at between 80 and 180 miles per hour, sized them at one to two meters, and said their altitude could not be determined.
How it differs from its twin
Again there are two patches. One is near the center of the display, but here AARO does not mention a reticle around it. The other sits high in the picture rather than low, and is again stretched out with a trail behind it, suggesting motion from the top right toward the bottom left. The release does not say which of the two stills was captured first or how much time separates them.
A note on the trail
As with the first image, AARO says the trail matches familiar side effects of compressing and processing images and may not be a real physical feature. A still frame cannot confirm the speeds the operator estimated, and the record offers no identification. The case is listed as unresolved.
The official description
From war.gov/UFO, released September 18, 2026, quoted in full
The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of a still image derived from an infrared system aboard a U.S. military system in 2022. An accompanying mission report, DOW-UAP-D106, described the UAP as “flying sporadically… at various speeds between 80-180 miles per hour.”
Image Description:
This image features two areas of contrast. One appears near the center of the sensor display. Another appears in the top third of the frame. The area of contrast in the top third of the frame appears elongated and is followed by a visible trail. These features suggest motion across the focal plane from the top right to the bottom left of the sensor field-of-view. The apparent trail is consistent with known image-compression and processing effects and does not necessarily represent a physical feature.
This image 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.