F/A-18 FLIR UAP, 2022 — Department of War Video
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “F/A-18 FLIR UAP,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S.
Incident Overview
In 2022, in the NORTHCOM area of responsibility, 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, “F/A-18 FLIR UAP,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Northern Command area of responsibility in 2022. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in July 2023.
Video Duration: 00:00:29 Video Description: A sensor pans to track an area of contrast. At the 14 second mark, a reticle surrounds the area of contrast. At the 27 second mark, the reticle loses its track on 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.
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.