Department of War PURSUE File
DOW-UAP-D61, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, August 2020
Arabian Gulf·8/27/20
Editorial summary
On August 27, 2020, a U.S. military aircrew conducting reconnaissance operations in the Arabian Gulf observed what they described as a formation of unknown flying objects traveling in a northeast to northwest direction along the coast. The observation occurred at approximately 1527 Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) and lasted roughly two minutes before the aircrew lost tracking capability. According to the file, light cloud coverage prevented continuous observation of the formation, and the aircrew was unable to reacquire visual identification once the objects were obscured.
The mission that produced this observation was a planned airborne reconnaissance and electronic surveillance (AREC) operation flown in coordination with Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT). The aircrew had arrived on station at 0041 UTC on August 27 to conduct surveillance of Iranian and Revolutionary Guard Corps naval vessels, unmanned aerial systems activity, port operations, and maritime patterns of life throughout the Arabian Gulf. The reconnaissance asset was equipped with a targeting and imaging pod designated ANDAS4 and an additional avionics system designated AH-GMESH. During the roughly 20 hours and 24 minutes the aircraft spent on station, the aircrew conducted multiple observation activities and reported the formation sighting as one of several observations made during the mission, alongside sightings of vessels, possible military candidates at island airfields, and other maritime activity.
The observation was recorded in a standardized Department of War Mission Report (MISREP) form and submitted through U.S. Central Command channels. The report notes that light cloud coverage degraded tracking quality and prevented the aircrew from obtaining positive identification of the objects. The document preserves the aircrew's subjective characterization of what was observed at the time, without drawing conclusions about the objects' intrinsic properties or performance characteristics. This file was declassified on January 22, 2026, and is now part of the public record.
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 “formation of unknown flying objects” traveling northeast to northwest along the coast for approximately two minutes. The report notes that light cloud coverage “prevented the continuous tracking of the formation.” 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
8/27/20
Incident location
Arabian Gulf
Release tranche
Release 01 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release