CENTCOM UAP Reports, Arabian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz (2020) – PURSUE Files

In 2020 U.S. forces operating in and around the Persian (Arabian) Gulf, a tense area of U.S.–Iran naval activity, filed a string of UAP reports. This page collects 17 written reports and 7 infrared videos released in PURSUE Release 01. Many of the written reports are Navy range fouler forms, which record any unauthorized object entering airspace being used for operations or training.^[1]

The records

DOW-UAP-D003, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D003 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported observing a “line of dots followed by a trailing dot.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D004, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D004 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported observing a UAP traveling at an estimated speed of 321 knots (369 mph). The observer reported that the UAP “increased speed and changed direction towards the east.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D005, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D005 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported observing two UAP traveling at an estimated speed of 278 knots (320 mph. The observer reported that the UAP “increased speed and changed direction towards the south.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D006, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D006 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported observing a UAP.
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D007, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D007 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported observing a UAP, describing it as “look[ing] like a balloon.” The report describes the UAP as “traveling with the winds at approximately 31,000 ft.” The visually tracked the UAP via onboard infrared sensor.
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D065, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, July 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D065 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported encountering three separate UAP on July 16, 2020, at 1830Z, 1920Z, and 2345Z.
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D060, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, August 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D060 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported observing one UAP. The report describes the UAP as “transiting” and notes it had “no impact to mission.” The report also states that “dense cloud coverage intermittently impacted FMV collection.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D061, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, August 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D061 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported observing a “formation of unknown flying objects” traveling northeast to northwest along the coast for approximately two minutes. The report notes that light cloud coverage “prevented the continuous tracking of the formation.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D062, Mission Report, Strait of Hormuz, September 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D062 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported observing one UAP at an estimated altitude of 1,800 feet.
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D063, Mission Report, Strait of Hormuz, October 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D063 (PDF) on war.gov →

Same official description as above.

DOW-UAP-D064, Mission Report, Iran, November 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D064 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Mission Report (MISREP), a standardized reporting form the U.S. Military uses to record the circumstances surrounding its operations. U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to AARO. The GENTEXT, or “general text” section of these reports often contains important qualitative, contextual information, distinguishing it from the more quantitative, or numerical, data found elsewhere in the report.
A U.S. military operator reported observing two UAP on November 2, 2020, at 2143Z and at 2148Z. The first observation occurred at an unknown altitude. The reporter described the second UAP’s direction of travel as proceeding to the northwest.
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D038, Range Fouler Debrief, Middle East, May 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D038 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Range Fouler Debrief, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. These reports contain a narrative description of the observer’s experiences.
A U.S. military operator reported observing a “solid white object [fly] through the [field-of-view]. The reporter described the UAP as making erratic [movements] above the water.
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-PR036, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020

DOW-UAP-PR036, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2020 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of two minutes and 17 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. An accompanying Range Fouler report, DoW-UAP-D38, described the UAP as a solid white object making erratic movements above the water.

Video Description:
00:05: An area of contrast briefly enters the sensor field-of-view from the left side of the screen.
00:06-00:18: The sensor pans away from the scene’s initial subject matter while cycling contrast settings and zoom levels.
00:19: The area of contrast re-enters the sensor field-of-view from near the center of the top edge of the screen.
00:20-01:15: The area of contrast remains generally within the sensor field-of-view.
01:16: The sensor narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast.
01:56: The sensor further narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast.
02:10: A blue reticle briefly appears on screen but does not acquire a lock on the area of contrast.
02:15-02:17: The sensor switches to a different modality and loses track of the 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.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D042, Range Fouler Debrief, Japan, 2023

Open DOW-UAP-D042 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Range Fouler Debrief Form, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. These reports contain a narrative description of the observer’s experiences.
A U.S. military operator reported observing an “object fly through the screen.” The observer described a second object surpassing the first, at a higher speed. The report describes a total of three UAP “moving amongst each other.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D044, Range Fouler Reporting Form, Gulf of Aden, October 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D044 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Range Fouler Reporting Form, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. These reports contain a narrative description of the observer’s experiences.
A U.S. military operator reported observing a “round, cold object” via infrared sensor, traveling at 319 degrees (northwest) at approximately 20 mph. The report describes the UAP making “abrupt directional changes” during the event.
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D056, Range Fouler Debrief, Arabian Sea, August 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D056 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Range Fouler Debrief Form, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. These reports contain a narrative description of the observer’s experiences.
A U.S. military operator reported an encounter with a group of three “unidentified small air contacts” over the North Arabian Sea. The reporter described the UAP as having “wings/airframe” structure, and as initially bearing on a westerly heading. The operator tracked one UAP before losing sight of it behind a cloud. Upon regaining contact, the operator reported observing two additional UAP to the east of the first. The report states that all three objects then “appeared to maintain their relative course, speed, and altitude.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D057, Range Fouler Reporting Form, Gulf of Aden, September 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D057 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Range Fouler Reporting Form, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. These reports contain a narrative description of the observer’s experiences.
A U.S. military operator reported tracking a “round, cold object” over the Gulf of Aden for eight minutes via “black hot” IR sensor, making the UAP appear “bright white.” The report states that the UAP was “traveling 168 degrees at 277 mph” and “made a few abrupt directional changes” during the encounter.
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D058, Range Fouler Debrief, NA, October 2020

Open DOW-UAP-D058 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a Range Fouler Debrief, a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. These reports contain a narrative description of the observer’s experiences.
A U.S. military operator reported an encounter with a group of two UAP. The operator described the UAP as “balloon-shaped,” metallic, and reflective, characterizing them as “2x red blinking strobes.” The report states that “one range fouler was circling around the other.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-PR037, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020

DOW-UAP-PR037, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

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. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation.

Video Description:
00:06-00:08: An area of contrast enters the sensor field-of-view from the bottom left quarter of the screen, follows a generally linear path from the bottom of the screen to the top, and exits from the top left quarter.

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.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-PR039, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020

DOW-UAP-PR039, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

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. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation.

Video Description:
00:03-00:05: A faint area of contrast enters the sensor field-of-view from the bottom half of the right edge of the screen, proceeds from right to left across the corner of the frame, and exits the scene from near the center of the bottom edge of the screen.

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.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-PR040, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020

DOW-UAP-PR040, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

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. The original reporter digitally altered the imagery by pausing the video playback and adding a white line encircling an area of interest at timestamp 00:10, annotated with the phrase “U/I SMALL THERMAL SIGNATURE.” AARO did not edit the originally reported material, and this media is presented as received.

Video Description:
00:00-00:09: An area of contrast brightens within the sensor field-of-view, becoming increasingly distinct against the background.
00:10-00:14: Playback pauses to display a white line encircling an area of interest, annotated with the phrase “U/I SMALL THERMAL SIGNATURE.”
00:15-01:03: Playback resumes, with the sensor panning to track the area of contrast against the background, generally maintaining the area of contrast’s position within the top third of the display area. During this period, the sensor cycles through several contrast and zoom settings.

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.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-PR041, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020

DOW-UAP-PR041, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

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 34 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation.

Video Description:
00:01: An area of contrast enters the sensor field-of-view from the bottom third of the left side of the screen.
00:02-01:34: The sensor pans from left to right, tracking the area of contrast and keeping it generally centered within the field-of-view.

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.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-PR042, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020

DOW-UAP-PR042, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

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 53 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation.

Video Description:
00:00-00:12: An area of contrast enters the sensor field-of-view from the bottom left corner of the frame. The sensor pans to track the area of contrast, keeping it generally within the lower left quadrant of the frame.
00:13-00:40: The area of contrast intermittently loses distinctiveness against the background, seeming to disappear and reappear irregularly.
00:41: The sensor narrows its field-of-view to zoom in on the area of contrast.
00:42-00:52: An area of contrast exits the sensor field-of-view from the left half of the top of the frame, after which the sensor pans up and to the left.
00:53-02:09: The sensor pans erratically, with an area of contrast appearing in a relatively fixed position to the left and slightly below the center of the frame.
02:09-02:29: The sensor switches imaging modalities, and the area of contrast appears to the right and slightly above the center of the frame.
02:30-04:53: The sensor switches imaging modalities again, and the area of contrast returns to its previous position to the left and slightly below the center of the frame.

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.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-PR044, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020

DOW-UAP-PR044, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2020 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of five minutes and 11 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2020. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation.

Video Description: This video features incidentally recorded audio, which does not relate to the visual content described below.
00:00-00:30: No content.
00:31-03:24: The sensor pans down and to the right to focus on an area of contrast. The sensor tracks the area of contrast against the background for approximately three minutes, panning to maintain its position generally within the center of the frame. The sensor cycles contrast and zoom levels several times throughout, appearing as brief, bright white flashes across the frame.
03:25-04:23: The sensor cycles through reticles of various sizes while continuing to track the area of contrast. Between 04:20 and 04:23, the area of contrast briefly leaves the center of the sensor field-of-view.
04:24-04:50: The sensor field-of-view widens to zoom out from the scene, continuing to track the area of contrast.
04:50-04:54: The sensor stops tracking the area of contrast, at which point it exits the frame from the top left quadrant of the screen.
04:55-05:11: No content.

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.

— Official PURSUE description

Analysis

Patterns. Several reports describe features typical of ordinary objects: one UAP “look[ed] like a balloon… traveling with the winds at approximately 31,000 ft” (D007); two were “balloon-shaped,” metallic and had “red blinking strobes,” which suggests aircraft or drone lights (D058); another was a “round, cold object” moving about 20 mph (D044). Others report objects “increasing speed and changing direction” (D004, D005) or “abrupt directional changes” (D057), effects that can come from the sensor platform’s own motion. A report of three small contacts with “wings/airframe” structure (D056) suggests small drones, which Iran and its allies were using widely over these waters by 2020.

Reading these reports. Speeds, sizes and altitudes in military UAP reports are usually operator estimates. A single infrared camera cannot measure distance, so an object’s speed is inferred from how fast it crosses the screen plus an assumed range; if the object is closer and smaller than assumed, it is also much slower (parallax). “Cold” objects in infrared are cooler than the background, which fits unpowered things like balloons. AARO’s public reports say most cases it has resolved turned out to be balloons, birds, drones, or sensor and display effects.^[2]

New or previously released? New. We found no earlier public release of these reports or videos.

Released files

See also

• AARO
• U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
• CENTCOM reports: Iraq and Syria
• 2019 “Pyramid” UAP videos
• PURSUE Release 01 (May 8, 2026) overview
• PURSUE

References

1. ^ U.S. Department of War (2026). PURSUE Release 01 (May 8, 2026): DOW-UAP-D003, DOW-UAP-D004, DOW-UAP-D005, DOW-UAP-D006, DOW-UAP-D007, DOW-UAP-D065, DOW-UAP-D060, DOW-UAP-D061, DOW-UAP-D062, DOW-UAP-D063, DOW-UAP-D064, DOW-UAP-D038 and others, with official descriptions. war.gov/ufo.
2. ^ All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, Consolidated Annual Reports on UAP (2023–2025): most resolved cases were balloons, birds, unmanned aircraft or sensor artifacts.