"Unresolved" is the government's word for a case it could not attribute — not a claim about origin. Where AARO resolved a case, we keep its explanation in full, including the ones that turned out to be birds, balloons or sensor artifacts. Video stays on the government's own distribution platform; we index the release metadata and link out.
PR-018UnresolvedEurope · 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.
PR-017UnresolvedEurope · 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.
PR-002Resolved by AAROAfrica · 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.
DVIDS-964843Status Not StatedMiddle 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.
DVIDS-962722Status Not StatedMiddle East · 2024
The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office received a report from a U.S. military Service consisting of six minutes and forty-two 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.
PR-016Resolved by AAROEurope · 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.
PR-003UnresolvedAfrica · 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.
DVIDS-961723Status Not StatedMiddle East · 2023
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.
PR-015UnresolvedEurope · 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.
PR-014UnresolvedEurope · 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.
PR-013UnresolvedEurope · 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.
PR-012UnresolvedEurope · 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.
PR-010Resolved by AAROEurope · 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.
PR-009Resolved by AAROEurope · 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.
PR-008UnresolvedEurope · 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.
PR-007Status Not StatedEurope · 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.
PR-006Resolved by AAROEurope · 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.
PR-005Resolved by AAROEurope · 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.
PR-004Resolved by AAROEurope · 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.
PR-001UnresolvedAfrica · 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.
PR-011Undergoing AnalysisEurope · 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.
DVIDS-960331Status Not Stated
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. Al Taqaddum Case Resolution
DVIDS-956955Unresolved
Video of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 jet crew's encounter with an unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAP). UAP Imagery Release Date Title DVIDS Page Description Imagery PR-049 PR-049 The Department of the Army submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and forty-nine seconds of video from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2026. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation. PR-048 PR-048 The United States Indo-Pacific Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and thirty-nine seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation. PR-047 PR-047 The United States Indo-Pacific Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and fifty-nine seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard US. Military platform in 2023. PR-046 PR-046 The United States Indo-Pacific Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of nine seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard US. Military platform in 2024. PR-045 PR-045 The United States Air Force submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of fifty-eight seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard US. Military platform in 2020. PR-044 PR-044 The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of five minutes and eleven seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard US. military platform in 2020. PR-043 PR-043 The United States Africa Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of two seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard US. military platform in 2025. PR-042 PR-042 The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of four minutes and fifty-three of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. PR-041 PR-041 The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and thirty-four seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. PR-040 PR-040 The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and three seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. PR-039 PR-039 The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of five seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. PR-038 PR-038 The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and forty-six seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2013. PR-037 PR-037 The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of nine seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. PR-036 PR-036 The United States Central Command submitted a report o
DVIDS-956683Status Not Stated
Forward-Looking Infrared video footage of an unidentified object recorded by the aircrew of a U.S. Navy F/A-18F in 2015. "Go Fast" Case Resolution
DVIDS-955936Status Not Stated
DVIDS-955825Unresolved
Forward Looking Infrared - Video of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 jet crew's encounter with an unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAP).
DVIDS-944204Status Not Stated
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. Puerto Rico Case Resolution
DVIDS-944201Status Not Stated
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. Mt. Etna Case Resolution
DVIDS-885193Status Not Stated
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. Western United States Case Resolution
DVIDS-880273Status Not Stated
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.
DVIDS-880271Status Not Stated
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. Atmospheric Wakes Case Resolution
DVIDS-880270Status Not Stated
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. Atmospheric Wakes Case Resolution
DVIDS-843620Unresolved
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.
