Department of War PURSUE File
DOW-UAP-D65, Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, July 2020
Arabian Gulf·7/16/20
Editorial summary
A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft operating over the Arabian Gulf on July 16, 2020, reported encountering three separate unidentified aerial phenomena during a single mission, according to a declassified Department of War mission report released in May 2026. The aircraft took off from Oman early that morning and spent approximately 20 hours on station conducting surveillance operations in support of Naval Central Command (NAVCENT), scanning the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman for vessel activity and unmanned systems.
The first observation occurred at 1830 UTC (6:30 p.m. local time) when the pilot reported seeing an unidentified aerial phenomenon while flying at 20,000 feet and approximately 98 knots airspeed. A second sighting followed roughly 50 minutes later at 1920 UTC, with the aircraft then at 19,000 feet and flying at 90 knots. The third encounter took place at 2345 UTC (11:45 p.m.), when the aircraft was at 19,100 feet and traveling at 115 knots airspeed. All three observations were recorded via forward motion video (FMV), the primary sensor platform mounted on the aircraft. According to the file, weather was not a factor in any of the sightings.
The report provides minimal descriptive detail beyond the basic flight parameters and observation methods. The document notes that all characterizations in the report reflect the observer's subjective interpretation at the time of the events, and should not be interpreted as conclusive indication of intrinsic object features or performance characteristics. Large sections of the mission report are redacted, including specific activity descriptions and detailed gentext entries that would normally contain qualitative information from the pilot or crew. The aircraft completed its mission without incident and returned to base at Oman, landing at 0200 UTC on July 17. This report is part of the Department of War's PURSUE Release 01, clearing previously classified records on UAP incidents for public access.
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 encountering three separate UAP on July 16, 2020, at 1830Z, 1920Z, and 2345Z. 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
7/16/20
Incident location
Arabian Gulf
Release tranche
Release 01 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release