09JUN2021 observed UAP in the ECS — Department of War Video
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “09JUN2021 [Platform] observed UAP in the ECS,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S.
Incident Overview
In 2021, in East China Sea, the Department of War preserved a sensor video that was declassified and published on May 22, 2026 as part of the second tranche of the Department of War’s Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE). These records were identified by AARO in response to a March 6, 2026 request from eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives for potentially UAP-related material; AARO notes that many of the items lack a substantiated chain of custody.
What the government released
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “09JUN2021 [Platform] observed UAP in the ECS,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating above the East China Sea in 2021. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in June 2021.
Video Duration: 00:00:23 Video Description: 00:01-00:18: The sensor pans to track an area of contrast. At the 18 second mark, the sensor loses sight of the object. 00:19-00:23: 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.
Status of the case
Records released under the PURSUE program are designated unresolved by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, which means the federal government has not concluded the events were anomalous, has not concluded they were conventional, and has not ruled out either possibility. Where AARO has offered a likely source for an item — an infrared sensor aboard a military aircraft, a commercial camera, or a known optical effect — that attribution is the agency’s working assessment rather than a final determination. Conventional candidates such as drones, balloons, flares, satellites, parallax and forced-perspective artifacts, and ordinary aircraft remain on the table for any unresolved case absent better data than a single sensor pass or a witness recollection.