Chronological UAP source map

UFO files timeline

Browse the public UAP archive as a chronological record. Each timeline event links the grouped videos, source PDFs, imagery, and related case page for the same incident or archive set.

Timeline events
70
Dated groups
62
Undated groups
8
2026
2025
March 20, 2025Video-linked records

2013 Puerto Rico Object Reconstruction

This video shows a Systems Toolkit digital reconstruction of "The Puerto Rico Object" unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) event as seen from above. The reconstruction shows the aircraft's flight path, an onboard infrared sensor’s look angle to the ground, and the objects’ assessed flight path. This reconstruction demonstrates that the objects traveled in a straight line at wind speed over land. On April 26, 2013, an infrared sensor onboard a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft captured footage of a UAP event over the Rafael Hernandez Airport near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. AARO assesses with high confidence that the objects did not demonstrate anomalous speeds or flight behaviors.

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1Videos
2024
2024Video-linked records

PR-002, Resolved as Migratory Birds, Africa 2024

In 2024, the United States Africa Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and eighteen seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the objects depicted in the video are almost certainly (≥95% likelihood) a group of migratory birds. AARO bases its assessment on the objects’ strong morphological consistency with other resolved imagery depicting birds and the objects’ flight behavior corresponding to known migration routes. An external Intelligence Community partner concurred with AARO’s assessment.

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1Videos
2024Video-linked records

PR-017, Unresolved UAP Report, Europe 2024

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of thirty seconds of video footage from a commercially available cellular device’s rear-facing digital camera in 2024. The video footage associated with this report is insufficient for AARO to render a determination on its subject matter. This unresolved report contributes to AARO’s historical and locational trend analyses.

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1Videos
2024Video-linked records

PR-018, Unresolved UAP Report, Europe 2024

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of ten minutes and thirty seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the footage depicts the presence of a physical object. The object’s morphological features, performance characteristics, and behaviors are unremarkable and do not warrant further analysis. AARO will continue to investigate this case should further information become available to enable a more conclusive attribution. This unresolved report contributes to AARO’s historical and locational trend analyses.

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1Videos
October 31, 2024Video-linked records

Middle East Red Balloon 2024

The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office received a report from a U.S. military Service consisting of one minute and thirty-six seconds of full-motion video footage captured by a camera aboard a U.S. military platform in the Middle East in 2024. According to the reporting Service, the recording likely depicts a slow-moving spheroidal object. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the object depicted in the video is almost certainly (≥95% likelihood) a consumer-grade reflective foil balloon. AARO bases its assessment on the object's strong morphological consistency with other resolved imagery depicting balloons and its behavioral correlation with recorded wind speed and direction during the event.

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1Videos
May 16, 2024Video-linked records

Unresolved UAP Report: Middle East 2024

This video is provided for informational purposes only. Viewers should not interpret any part of the video description below as reflecting an analytic judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance. Viewers should not interpret the absence of a formal assessment as suggestive of anomalous characteristics. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office received a report from a U.S. military Service consisting of six minutes and forty-one seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform. The recording, captured in the Middle East in 2024, depicts an apparent thermal contrast within the sensor’s field of view. The area of apparent contrast exhibited characteristics that may be consistent with the presence of a physical object. However, due to the absence of corroborating telemetry or multi-modal sensor data, AARO cannot determine whether the observed signature represents a sensor artifact or a thermal emission or reflection from a physical source. The available data does not support a conclusive analytic evaluation.

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1Videos
2023
2023Video-linked records

PR-003, Unresolved UAP Report, Africa 2023

In 2023, the United States Africa Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of four minutes and fifty-eight seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform. The footage shows an apparent heat signature with characteristics consistent with those of a physical object. However, AARO cannot determine whether the observed signature originates from a physical source, either as a thermal emission or a thermal reflection, or other source, such as a heat differential in the environment or sensor display error. The available data is insufficient to evaluate the phenomenon’s performance characteristics.

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1Videos
2023Video-linked records

PR-016, Resolved as Birds, Europe 2023

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of twenty-five seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2023. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the objects depicted in the video are almost certainly (>95% likelihood) birds. AARO bases its assessment on the objects’ strong morphological consistency with other resolved imagery featuring birds and the objects’ behavioral characteristics strongly aligning with those of birds, e.g. maintaining relative positioning for energy conservation during flight, pulsating infrared return at a frequency consistent with wing beats.

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1Videos
May 31, 2023Video-linked records

Western U.S. Objects

In a public meeting of NASA’s Independent Study Team on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) on May 31, 2023, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), shared a video depicting three unidentified objects recorded on infrared video in 2021 from a military range in the western United States. Analysis of the full motion video, combined with commercial flight data in the region, led AARO to assess that the objects were three separate commercial aircraft flying at a great distance from the infrared sensor. The radar tracks for commercial aircraft aligned with the objects, which were only seen as small dots due to their significant distance from the sensor.

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1Videos
Related source files
May 9, 2023Video-linked records

Unresolved UAP Report: Middle East 2023

This video is provided for informational purposes only. Viewers should not interpret any part of the video description below as reflecting an analytic judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance. Viewers should not interpret the absence of a formal assessment as suggestive of anomalous characteristics. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office received a report from a U.S. military Service consisting of eight minutes and fifteen seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform. The recording, captured in the Middle East in 2023, depicts an apparent thermal contrast within the sensor’s field of view. The area of apparent contrast exhibited characteristics that may be consistent with the presence of a physical object. However, due to the absence of corroborating telemetry or multi-modal sensor data, AARO cannot determine whether the observed signature represents a sensor artifact or a thermal emission or reflection from a physical source. The available data does not support a conclusive analytic evaluation.

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1Videos
January 15, 2023Video-linked records

South Asian Object 1

In an open hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 19, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), shared a video depicting an unidentified object with an apparent atmospheric wake or cavitation trailing it as it moves across the sensor’s field of view from left to right. An MQ-9 forward-looking infrared video sensor captured this footage in South Asia as it was recording another MQ-9. After analysis of the full motion video, inclusion of additional footage with a longer focal length, and analysis of commercial flight data in the region, AARO assesses that the object likely is a commercial aircraft and that the trailing cavitation is a sensor artifact resultant of video compression. Case resolution is pending final review.

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1Videos
Related source files
January 15, 2023Video-linked records

South Asian Object 2

In an open hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 19, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), shared videos depicting an unidentified object with an apparent atmospheric wake or cavitation trailing it as it moved across the sensor’s field of view from left to right. An MQ-9 forward-looking infrared video sensor captured this footage in South Asia as it was recording another MQ-9. After analysis of the full motion video, inclusion of additional footage with a longer focal length, and analysis of commercial flight data in the region, AARO assesses that the object likely is a commercial aircraft and that the trailing cavitation is a sensor artifact resultant of video compression. Case resolution is pending final review. This video is the additional footage with a longer focal length. The apparent back and forth motion is an artifact of the longer focal length and the sensor attempting to zoom in on the fast moving UAP, rather than the MQ-9.

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1Videos
Related source files
2022
2022Video-linked records

PR-001 Unresolved UAP Report, Africa 2022

In 2022, the United States Africa Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of thirty-one seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform. The footage shows an apparent heat signature with characteristics consistent with those of a physical object. However, AARO cannot determine whether the observed signature originates from a physical source, either as a thermal emission or a thermal reflection, or other source, such as a heat differential in the environment or sensor display error. The available data is insufficient to evaluate the phenomenon’s performance characteristics.

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1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-004, UAP Report Resolved as a Balloon, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of thirty-one seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the object depicted in the video is almost certainly (≥95% likelihood) a balloon. AARO bases its assessment on the object’s strong morphological consistency with other resolved imagery featuring balloons and the object’s performance characteristics strongly aligning with those of lighter-than-air objects, e.g., drifting at wind speed and direction.

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1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-005, UAP Report Resolved as a Balloon, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of thirty-two seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the object depicted in the video is almost certainly (≥95% likelihood) a balloon. AARO bases its assessment on the object’s strong morphological consistency with other resolved imagery featuring balloons and the object’s performance characteristics strongly aligning with those of lighter-than-air objects, e.g., drifting at wind speed and direction.

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1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-006, UAP Report Resolved as a Balloon, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of twenty seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the object depicted in the video is almost certainly (≥95% likelihood) a balloon. AARO bases its assessment on the object’s strong morphological consistency with other resolved imagery featuring balloons and the object’s performance characteristics strongly aligning with those of lighter-than-air objects, e.g., drifting at wind speed and direction.

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1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-007, UAP Report Closed as Not Anomalous, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of six seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the object depicted in the video demonstrates performance characteristics consistent with those of a prosaic aircraft. However, the available data is insufficient to attribute the object to a specific origin or render a determination on its type or application. Though AARO cannot conclusively resolve this object, it does not meet the morphological or performance criteria to warrant further analysis.

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1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-008, Unresolved UAP Report, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and twenty-one seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. The footage depicts an apparent heat signature with characteristics consistent with those of a physical object, However, AARO cannot determine whether the observed signature originates from a physical source, either as a thermal emission or a thermal reflection, or other source, such as a heat differential in the environment or sensor display error. The available data is insufficient to evaluate the phenomenon’s performance characteristics.

Open case
1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-009, UAP Report Resolved as a Balloon, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of twenty seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the object depicted in the video is almost certainly (≥95% likelihood) a balloon. AARO bases its assessment on the object’s strong morphological consistency with other resolved imagery featuring balloons and the object’s performance characteristics strongly aligning with those of lighter-than-air objects, e.g., drifting at wind speed and direction.

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1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-010, UAP Report Resolved as a Balloon, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of seven minutes and fifty-six seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the object depicted in the video is almost certainly (≥95% likelihood) a balloon. AARO bases its assessment on the object’s strong morphological consistency with other resolved imagery featuring balloons and the object’s performance characteristics strongly aligning with those of lighter-than-air objects, e.g., drifting at wind speed and direction.

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1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-012, Unresolved UAP Report, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of fifty-five seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the footage depicts the presence of a physical object. The object’s morphological features, performance characteristics, and behaviors are unremarkable and do not warrant further analysis. AARO will continue to investigate this case should further information become available to enable a more conclusive attribution. This unresolved report contributes to AARO’s historical and locational trend analyses.

Open case
1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-013, Unresolved UAP Report, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of twenty seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the footage depicts the presence of a physical object. The object’s morphological features, performance characteristics, and behaviors are unremarkable and do not warrant further analysis. AARO will continue to investigate this case should further information become available to enable a more conclusive attribution. This unresolved report contributes to AARO’s historical and locational trend analyses.

Open case
1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-014, Unresolved UAP Report, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of forty-three seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the footage depicts the presence of a physical object. The object’s morphological features, performance characteristics, and behaviors are unremarkable and do not warrant further analysis. AARO will continue to investigate this case should further information become available to enable a more conclusive attribution. This unresolved report contributes to AARO’s historical and locational trend analyses.

Open case
1Videos
2022Video-linked records

PR-015, Unresolved UAP Report, Europe 2022

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of thirteen seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. AARO assesses, with high confidence, that the footage depicts the presence of a physical object. The object’s morphological features, performance characteristics, and behaviors are unremarkable and do not warrant further analysis. AARO will continue to investigate this case should further information become available to enable a more conclusive attribution. This unresolved report contributes to AARO’s historical and locational trend analyses.

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1Videos
July 12, 2022Video-linked records

Middle East Object

In an open hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 19, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), shared a video that depicts an apparent silver, orb-like object cross the sensor’s field of view. This clip was taken by an MQ-9 in the Middle East, and while AARO assesses the object in the clip is not exhibiting anomalous behavior, the object remains unidentified. This video is a representative example of many of the cases AARO receives where there is limited data surrounding the observation. These cases are retained in AARO’s active archive pending the discovery of additional information/data that may lead to case resolution.

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1Videos
Related source files
2021
2021Video-linked records

Navy 2021 Flyby video

In a an open hearing on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) before the House Intelligence Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee on May 17, 2022, Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Mr. Scott Bray shared this video of a US. Naval aviator encounter with an unknown object (UAP) in a fleeting pass. This video, captured by the pilot in the cockpit of a Navy fighter jet, demonstrates the typical speed at which military aircraft may approach an unknown object.

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1Videos
Related source files
2021Video-linked records

PR-011, UAP Report Undergoing Analysis, Europe 2021

The United States European Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of two minutes and eight seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2021. The footage depicts an area of contrast in the infrared sensor display, suggesting the presence of a physical object. Analysis of the object’s physical attributes and performance characteristics is ongoing.

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1Videos
2020
2020Video-linked records

Middle East / Gulf series, 2020

The 2020 Middle East video titles are broad, so Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Arabian Sea, and Iran reports are grouped together.

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8Videos16PDF16Images
2018
December 2018Video-linked records

Mt. Etna Object

In December 2018, a forward-looking infrared video sensor aboard an uncrewed U.S. Air Force platform captured this footage while operating over the Mediterranean Sea. This footage depicts an object that appears to be transiting a plume of superheated gas and ash produced by an eruption of Mt. Etna, a volcano in Sicily, Italy. AARO coordinated an interagency and international analytical effort that determined that optical effects from the intense atmospheric conditions near the volcano distorted the video, causing the object to appear to transit the plume. AARO assesses with moderate confidence that the footage instead depicts a balloon approximately 170 kilometers from the caldera traveling at wind speed and direction.

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1Videos
Related source files
2017
October 2017Video-linked records

Al Taqaddum Object

In October 2017, an infrared sensor onboard a force protection aerostat near Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq, captured 17 minutes of video of an unidentified object. AARO assesses that the object was a cluster of partially and fully inflated balloons. The object's appearance is consistent with other recorded observations featuring balloon clusters. AARO employed full-motion video analysis and pixel examination techniques to inform its assessment. AARO assesses that the object did not demonstrate anomalous performance characteristics. AARO used geo-locational data from the aerostat to assess the object's speed and direction of travel.

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1Videos
Related source files
2016
2015
2013
April 26, 2013Video-linked records

Puerto Rico Objects

On April 26, 2013, an infrared sensor onboard a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft captured footage of a UAP event over the Rafael Hernandez Airport near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The footage appears to depict a UAP moving at high speed, splitting into two objects, and entering and exiting the water before disappearing into the ocean off Puerto Rico's northwestern coast. AARO assesses with high confidence that the objects did not demonstrate anomalous speeds or flight behaviors. An Intelligence Community partner's reconstruction of the flight path and look angle from the infrared sensor indicates that the video instead depicts two objects traveling near each other rather than a single object splitting into two. This reconstruction also demonstrates that the objects traveled in a straight line at wind speed and did not enter the water at any point.

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1Videos
Related source files
2004
1996
1985
1969
1965
1963
1944
1946
Undated
Date unknownScanned archive records

65_hs1-834228961 / 62-hq-83894 archive

Large FBI and historical scanned archive.

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18PDF18Images
Date unknownScanned archive records

FBI photo A image records

FBI photo A record group from the historical scanned archive, preserving eight photo records as JPG and PNG image variants. No PDF or video is linked; use the image file pages to inspect the source photographs directly.

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16Images
Date unknownScanned archive records

FBI photo B records, PDF and JPG set

FBI photo B record group from the historical scanned archive, preserving 24 single-page PDFs and their matching JPG images. No video is linked; the paired file pages let readers compare the original PDF record with the image preview.

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24PDF24Images
Date unknownModern records without video

Statements and redacted serial records

War.gov UFO source set containing four statement and redacted-serial PDFs with matching JPG previews. These modern public-release records are kept together because they do not link to a video case; use them alongside the related modern document groups.

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4PDF4Images