CENTCOM UAP Reports, Iraq and Syria (2016–2024) – PURSUE Files

U.S. aircraft and drones have flown constant surveillance over Iraq and Syria since the campaign against ISIS began in 2014. This page collects 11 written reports and 9 images and videos from that area released in PURSUE Release 01, from a 2016 P-8A Poseidon sighting near Latakia, Syria, to a 2024 report over Syria.^[1]

The records

DOW-UAP-D055, Mission Report, Syria, November 2016

Open DOW-UAP-D055 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is a mission briefing summarizing an observation of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) by a U.S. military platform near Latakia, Syria.
A U.S. military pilot flying a P-8A aircraft reported observing an object via the aircraft’s EO/IR sensor, which they characterized as appearing to be in “sea skim mode,” traveling at approximately 500 knots (575 mph) on a southeasterly heading. The P-8A lost visual contact with the object after two minutes.
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-D010, Mission Report, Middle East, May 2022

Open DOW-UAP-D010 (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 “5x UAP fly across the screen.” The report continues by describing one of those observations as a “possible missile” and the remaining four as “possible birds.”
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-PR019, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2022

DOW-UAP-PR019, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, May 2022 — 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 2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D10, described the observation as a “possible missile” moving across the field-of-view. The report also described four other objects not depicted in the video as “possible birds.”

Video Description: At the two second mark, the video depicts an area of contrast moving from left to right across the bottom third of the sensor 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-D012, Mission Report, Iraq, May 2022

Open DOW-UAP-D012 (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 flying north to northeast. The observer reported following the UAP for as long as possible but was unable to positively identify it.
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-PR020, Unresolved UAP Report, Kuwait, May 2022

Open DOW-UAP-PR020 (PDF) on war.gov →

The United States Central Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of a still image derived from a U.S. military system in 2022. The original reporter digitally altered the imagery by adding a red line encircling an area of interest before submitting it to AARO. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D12, described the UAP as moving from north to northeast. The operator reported that they were unable to positively identify the UAP.

Image Description: The image contains an encircled, elongated area of contrast in the top left quarter. The area of contrast increases in intensity along its length from top left to bottom right.

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.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-PR021, Unresolved UAP Report, Iraq, May 2022

DOW-UAP-PR021, Unresolved UAP Report, Iraq, May 2022 — 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 ten seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D14, described the UAP as a “probable SU-27/35.”

Video Description: The video depicts two areas of contrast moving together near the center of the field-of-view throughout the runtime.

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.

AARO Comment: SU-27 and SU-35 are designations for military aircraft operated by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

— Official PURSUE description

DOW-UAP-D014, Mission Report, Iraq, May 2022

Open DOW-UAP-D014 (PDF) on war.gov →

Same official description as above.

DOW-UAP-D016, Mission Report, Syria, July 2022

Open DOW-UAP-D016 (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 move from north to south, with a total duration of under one minute.
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-PR022, Unresolved UAP Report, Syria, July 2022

DOW-UAP-PR022, Unresolved UAP Report, Syria, July 2022 — 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 14 seconds of video footage from an infrared (left) and electro-optical (right) sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D16, described the UAP as “moving from north to south.”

Video Description: At the five second mark, the video depicts an object moving from right to left across the top right quarter of the sensor 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-D018, Mission Report, Iraq, December 2022

Open DOW-UAP-D018 (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 “possible UAP” flying from west to east. The observer did not pursue the 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-PR023, Unresolved UAP Report, Iraq, December 2022

DOW-UAP-PR023, Unresolved UAP Report, Iraq, December 2022 — 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 ten seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2022. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D18, described the UAP as “flying west to east.”

Video Description: The video depicts an area of contrast moving from the bottom left to the top right of the sensor field-of-view. At approximately six seconds, the area of contrast leaves the sensor field-of-view near the top right corner 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-D019, Mission Report, Syria, February 21, 2023

Open DOW-UAP-D019 (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 “possible balloon” at approximately 2,100 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-D020, Mission Report, Iraq, 2023

Open DOW-UAP-D020 (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 “several bright objects maneuvering quickly” west to east northeast. The operator reported achieving a track on the UAP via an onboard targeting pod for approximately 20 seconds. The report describes that UAP then dimmed and disappeared from the targeting pod.
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-PR038, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2013

DOW-UAP-PR038, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2013 — 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 46 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2013. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation.

Video Description: This video depicts an area of contrast resembling an eight-pointed star with arms of alternating length.
00:10: The sensor field-of-view narrows to zoom in on the area of contrast.
00:11-00:29: The area of contrast moves within the sensor field-of-view, followed by a visible trail.
00:30: The area of contrast leaves the sensor field-of-view at the bottom right of the screen.
00:35-01:44: Following an apparent cut, the area of contrast generally remains within the sensor field-of-view before exiting the frame from the top left quarter 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-D074, Mission Report, Syria, November 2023

Open DOW-UAP-D074 (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 “shaped as a bouncy ball.” The observer described the UAP as traveling “~424kn (483 mph) consistently for at least 7mins.” The reporter described the UAP approaching from the south. The operator assessed the object as “benign.”
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-D028, Mission Report, Iraq, September 2024

Open DOW-UAP-D028 (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.
While conducting a weapons calibration test, U.S. military operators reported observing a lens flare via MX-20 and MX-25 IR sensors after firing an AGM-176 Griffin air-to-surface missile. The operators described the source of the flare as a UAP moving through the aircraft’s sensor’s field-of-view at a high rate of speed. The reporter assessed that the flare was associated with “a significant heat source.”
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-D032, Mission Report, Syria, October 2024

Open DOW-UAP-D032 (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 “misshapen and uneven ball of white light,” describing multiple “glares or light” emanating from an “unknown origin.” The reporter described the UAP as a “light/glare halo effect” at the top of the Full-Motion Video (FMV) feed.
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-PR031, Unresolved UAP Report, Syria, October 2024

DOW-UAP-PR031, Unresolved UAP Report, Syria, October 2024 — 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 seconds of video footage from a full-motion video (FMV) camera aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D32, described the UAP as consisting of a “misshapen and uneven ball of white light,” and reported that a “light/glare halo effect” occurred at the top of the FMV feed.

Video Description:
00:00-00:01: An indistinctly shaped multi-colored area moves from right to left across the top edge of the sensor display within the first second of the video.

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-PR032, Unresolved UAP Report, Syria, October 2024

DOW-UAP-PR032, Unresolved UAP Report, Syria, October 2024 — 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 six seconds of video footage from a full-motion video (FMV) camera aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D32, described the UAP as consisting of a “misshapen and uneven ball of white light,” and reported that a “light/glare halo effect” occurred at the top of the FMV feed.

Video Description:
00:02-00:04: An area of irregular color and brightness, mainly consisting of white and red highlights, appears near the center of the top edge of the sensor display. The area extends to a width of approximately one-third of the horizontal frame, with a vertical area comprising approximately one-sixth of the viewing area. Overall, its shape is best described as a horizontally-oriented half-oval bisected along its major axis.

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-PR033, Unresolved UAP Report, Syria, October 2024

DOW-UAP-PR033, Unresolved UAP Report, Syria, October 2024 — 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 seconds of video footage from a full-motion video (FMV) camera aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. An accompanying mission report, DoW-UAP-D32, described the UAP as consisting of a “misshapen and uneven ball of white light,” and reported that a “light/glare halo effect” occurred at the top of the FMV feed.

Video Description:
00:01-00:03: Two semi-transparent, irregularly shaped orange areas overlay the background imagery, persisting for less than two seconds each.

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. The operators’ own words often point to ordinary explanations: one report of “5x UAP” calls one a “possible missile” and four “possible birds” (D010); another describes a “possible balloon” at about 2,100 ft (D019). In September 2024 a crew reported a fast-moving “UAP” in their infrared sensors immediately after firing an AGM-176 Griffin missile; the report itself calls it a lens flare (D028). A “misshapen and uneven ball of white light” with a “glare halo” over Syria (D032, PR031–033) is consistent with a bright light source or optical artifact. The most interesting case is the 2016 P-8A report of an object in “sea skim mode” at about 500 knots near Latakia (D055), close to the Russian naval base at Tartus and Russian-operated airfields; a low-flying cruise missile or drone is a plausible explanation that the released record does not rule out.

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: Arabian Gulf 2020
• CENTCOM report: Iraq 2022 (Release 06)
• PURSUE Release 01 (May 8, 2026) overview
• PURSUE

References

1. ^ U.S. Department of War (2026). PURSUE Release 01 (May 8, 2026): DOW-UAP-D055, DOW-UAP-D010, DOW-UAP-PR019, DOW-UAP-D012, DOW-UAP-PR020, DOW-UAP-PR021, DOW-UAP-D014, DOW-UAP-D016, DOW-UAP-PR022, DOW-UAP-D018, DOW-UAP-PR023, DOW-UAP-D019 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.