IIR 1 666 S0151 23/Video Footage of Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) captured…, 2023 — Department of War Video
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “IIR 1 666 S0151 23/Video Footage of Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) captured by fifth generation aircraft on 20 Jan 23,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S.
Incident Overview
In 2023, 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, “IIR 1 666 S0151 23/Video Footage of Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) captured by fifth generation aircraft on 20 Jan 23,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Northern Command area of responsibility in 2023. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in July 2023.
Video Duration: 00:01:03 Video Description: 00:00-00:31: A sensor tracks an area of contrast, keeping it generally within the center of the field-of-view. 00:32-01:03: The area of contrast briefly moves in and out of the field-of-view from the top of the frame as the sensor pans to track it. 00:48: A second area of contrast becomes visible in the upper right 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.
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.