Department of War PURSUE File
DOW-UAP-D33, Mission Report, Greece, October 2023
Aegean Sea·10/27/23
Editorial summary
On October 27, 2023, a U.S. Air Force aircraft conducting an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission over the Aegean Sea observed an unidentified object flying just above the ocean surface, according to a declassified Department of War mission report released in May 2026. The operator, en route to a tasking location, spotted the object at approximately 00:35 UTC and tracked it performing multiple sharp 90-degree turns at an estimated speed of 80 miles per hour. The object was described as seemingly circular in shape but too small for the observer to discern additional details. At 00:38 UTC, approximately three minutes after initial contact, the operator lost the object from their full-motion video feed.
The aircraft involved in the sighting was conducting planned intelligence collection under USCENTCOM operational tasking as part of a violent extremist group monitoring campaign. The mission, which lasted 13 hours and 30 minutes total, departed from a Greek location and was equipped with full-motion video and signals intelligence collection systems, as well as airborne ground moving target indicator equipment. Weather conditions at the time of observation were clear. The observer assessed the unidentified object as posing no threat and did not attempt to engage or interrogate it further. No radar correlation, additional sensor data, or corroborating observations from other assets are noted in the report.
The observer recorded no response from the object to their presence, no signals emissions, and no effects on aircraft systems or personnel. The report does not indicate whether the object exhibited any propulsion means or advanced capabilities, and the document does not contain a determination of the object's origin or nature. The sighting location, aircraft type, and operator identity remain partially redacted in the declassified version. This mission report is one of numerous documents released through the Department of War PURSUE initiative, which began making previously classified UAP-related records available to the public in 2026.
Editorial summary written by govweird from the declassified document text. The official government description follows below.
Government description
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 UAP “flying just above the surface of the ocean.” The report describes the UAP as taking “multiple 90-degree turns at an estimated 80 mph.” 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.
Caption issued by the U.S. Department of War on war.gov/ufo. Verbatim, unedited.
Originating agency
Department of War
Record type
Incident date
10/27/23
Incident location
Aegean Sea
Release tranche
Release 01 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release