Department of War PURSUE File
DOW-UAP-D56, Range Fouler Debrief, Arabian Sea, August 2020
Arabian Sea·8/24/20
Editorial summary
On August 24, 2020, a U.S. military operator conducting routine operations in the North Arabian Sea reported observing three unidentified small air contacts during night operations. According to the file, the operator initially detected one contact moving on a westerly heading, tracked it visually, and then lost sight of it as it passed behind a cloud. When the operator regained contact moments later, two additional unidentified objects were visible to the east of the original contact's position. The operator reported that all three objects appeared to maintain consistent relative course, speed, and altitude throughout the observation.
The report was filed on a Range Fouler Debrief Form, a U.S. Navy standardized form used to document unauthorized intrusions into controlled airspace during active military operations. The operator characterized the contacts as possessing "wings/airframe" structure. According to the file, the operator had no electronic support measures detection, no radar track correlation, and no IFF (identification friend or foe) confirmation for any of the three objects. The precise course, speed, and distance to the contacts remained unknown at the time of the report. The operator stated that no interaction took place between the aircraft and the unknown contacts.
The document notes that all descriptive language in the report reflects the observer's subjective interpretation at the time of the event and should not be interpreted as conclusive evidence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics. Critical details including exact latitude and longitude coordinates, altitude readings, contact speed, and sensor data appear to have been redacted or left blank in the version released to the public. This file was cleared for public release on May 8, 2026, as part of the U.S. Department of War PURSUE Release 01.
Editorial summary written by govweird from the declassified document text. The official government description follows below.
Government description
This document is a Range Fouler Debrief Form, 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. A U.S. military operator reported an encounter with a group of three “unidentified small air contacts” over the North Arabian Sea. The reporter described the UAP as having “wings/airframe” structure, and as initially bearing on a westerly heading. The operator tracked one UAP before losing sight of it behind a cloud. Upon regaining contact, the operator reported observing two additional UAP to the east of the first. The report states that all three objects then “appeared to maintain their relative course, speed, and altitude.” 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
8/24/20
Incident location
Arabian Sea
Release tranche
Release 01 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release