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.
Summary
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.
At a glance
- Case ID
- MIDDLE-EAST-RED-BALLOON-2024
- Year
- 2024
- Region
- Middle East
- Submitting organization
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office
- Sensor
- Visual
- Government assessment
- None published
- Government investigation
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) review; footage released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
- SCS status
- Conventionally Explained
- Attached records
- 1
Evidence Chain
1 government record attached across 1 agency source. Every item links back to the original record.
Primary Source (1)
The record the case is built on.
- Middle East Red Balloon 2024
All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office · AARO Released Imagery · NAID AARO-DVIDS-964843 · Video
Government record AARO-DVIDS-964843 released by AARO.
Documented Claims
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Citations & quote-level provenance
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[1]Government record AARO-DVIDS-964843 released by AARO.
Government records
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- Middle East Red Balloon 2024Primary Source
NAID AARO-DVIDS-964843 · All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office · AARO Released Imagery
Government record AARO-DVIDS-964843 released by AARO.
View at the originating archive
Citation graph
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- Video
- Gov. record
Cite this page
2nd City Standard, UAP Intelligence Archive. “Middle East Red Balloon 2024.” Last updated 2026-08-22. https://2ndcitystandard.com/uap/cases/middle-east-red-balloon-2024
2CS Evidence Score
—
Not yet scored. This case has not been through the scoring methodology, so no number is shown.
Source Provenance
- Event Date
- 2024-01-01
- Location
- Middle East
- Primary Agency
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office
- Government Investigation
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) review; footage released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
- Witnesses
- Not recorded
- Trained Observers
- Not recorded
- Radar
- Not in record
- Infrared
- Not in record
- Photo / Video
- Yes
- Physical Evidence
- No
- Attached Records
- 1
- Last Editorial Review
- 8/22/2026