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.

About this type of document

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.

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✦ AI summary

Declassified single-page 'Range Fouler Debrief Form' (a standardized SPEAR/Navy-style UAP reporting questionnaire), submitted for an encounter on 14 May 2020 at 2040Z (night) in the Middle East (working area code 28314; the form's latitude field was filled in as 28314 N — apparently duplicating the working-area code — with longitude 49524 E; contact altitude 20,000 ft, noted as constant). While performing an ISR tasking, the aircrew's sensor (ATFLIR) picked up a solid white, round object flying through the field of view; the crew briefly lost and then re-acquired it, following as it appeared to make erratic movements just above the water. The sensor operator obtained 4x zoom on the object before losing it again due to poor track placement, continuously adjusting the sensor to keep the object in view (evidenced by waves alternately visible/invisible in the background). The object was checked as 'Round' shape on the form, with no indications of moving parts, metallic surface, markings, or apparent propulsion recorded (fields left unchecked). Contact was assessed as a single (1) object; the form's 'Radar Equipped' field was left blank, while the trackfile was marked intermittent. Declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, released under USCENTCOM MDR 26-0019, 01/26/26, approved for release to AARO.

Generated with AI from the official file — may contain errors.

▸Transcript(1 of 1 pages legible)

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[PAGE 1] [Stamp, red text, top right, with a line struck through it]: "Declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff" / "Declassified on 22 January 2026" [struck through] — overlapped by printed instruction text: "Please do not use the purple "submit" button above. Save and email the complete file manually (see below)." [DoD seal/emblem, left] ... [redacted red bar, center, above title] Range Fouler Debrief Form Please complete this form to the best of your ability. If you do not have the requested information, please leave the field blank. If there was more than one "group," please report each on a separate form for data collection purposes. You should receive a response within 5 business days. Last Name, First Name: [blank] Rank: [blank] Squadron: [blank box] SIPR Email Address: [blank] Crew Position: [blank] This information is for contact only. SPEAR sanitizes all reports of identifying information. Absolutely no identifying information for aircrew or squadron will be recorded for analysis. Date (mm/dd/yy): 05/14/20 Time of detection (hh:mm:ss Z): 20:40:00 Day/Night: Night Side No.: [blank] Buno: [blank] Mission Description (CAS, BFM, etc): ISR LFE?: [blank] Contact Working Area (Ex: W-72 1A): 28314 Contact Latitude (DD:MM:SS): 28314 N/S: N Contact Longitude (DD:MM:SS): 49524 E/W: E Contact Altitude (Ex: 22000): 20000 Altitude Constant?: Yes Wind Dir at Contact Alt (From): [blank] Wind Speed: [blank] Please attempt to determine a Lat/Long for the contact at initial detection. We recommend using JMPS to reference the sensor-derived bearing and range relative to the bullseye you had in use. If that method is not available, any reasonable derivation of location will work, but please be as specific as possible and make a note in the comments section. These locations may be used to cue other means of tracking. Was the contact moving?: Yes Direction/Speed (Ex. 090/15): [blank] Radar Equipped: [blank] Stable Trackfile?: Intermittent # of Contacts in "Group": 1 AIM-9x Self-Track: [unchecked] ATFLIR Autotrack: [unchecked] Tally Achieved: [unchecked] EA Indications (Check all that apply): ECM Arc [unchecked] Letter Identifier [unchecked] False Trackfiles [unchecked] Other/Ambiguous [unchecked] Please check all that apply: Round: [checked] Moving Parts: [unchecked] Square: [unchecked] Metallic: [unchecked] Balloon-shaped: [unchecked] Markings: [unchecked] Wings/Airframe: [unchecked] Translucent: [unchecked] Other Shape: [unchecked] Opaque: [unchecked] Apparent Propulsion: [unchecked] Reflective: [unchecked] Please use the field below to describe the contact and any interaction in your own words with as much detail as possible. Please be sure to include any detail not included in questions above. While preforming an ISR tasking (ULTN/Black Hot/Lin), a solid white object flew through the FOV. There was a temporarily lose of the object but re-acquired shortly there after. The crew was able to follow the object as it appeared to make erratic moments above the water. During the follow, crew was able to obtain 4x zoom on the object but lost the object due to poor track placement. While following, the sensor operator was continuously manipulating the sensor to maintain eyes on the object. This is apparent by the waves of the water in the background being visible and not being visible. Don't use the purple "submit" button! Save this form with filename "Date_Squadron_RF.pdf" and email it to [redacted, FOIA Exemption 3.5c, (b)(6)] (Also in the global). For troubleshooting, call [redacted, FOIA Exemption 3.5c, (b)(6)]. Thank you for your time. Please ensure all display tapes are ripped for the entire time of interaction and saved as a .wmv (Example: 4 May VFA-106 HUD.wmv). Squadron intel personnel shall upload those files to the repository located at this link. [redacted, FOIA Exemption 3.5c, (b)(6)] USCENTCOM MDR 26-0019 [redacted red bar] Approved for Release to AARO 01/26/26 001

Generated with AI from the official file — may contain errors.

Source: U.S. Department of War / AARO — public domain · war.gov/ufo