DOW-UAP-PR081, "18 Oct 2020 [CALLSIGN] observes UAP"

AFRICOM·2020

Declassified

Government description

On March 6, 2026, eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records allegedly held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network. Many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.

AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is, “18 Oct 2020 [CALLSIGN] observes UAP,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Africa Command area of responsibility in 2020. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in October 2020.

Video Duration: 00:04:59 Video Description: 00:00-00:57: No content. 00:58-01:03: An area of contrast transits the sensor field-of-view, entering from near the top left corner of the screen and exiting near the bottom right corner of the screen. 01:04-04:59: No content.

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.

Caption issued by the U.S. Department of War on war.gov/ufo. Verbatim, unedited.

Originating agency

Department of War

Record type

VID

Incident date

2020

Incident location

AFRICOM

Release tranche

Release 02 (May 8, 2026)

Distribution

Cleared for public release

PURSUE = Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters. Records released by the U.S. Department of War on May 8, 2026 are unresolved cases for which the government cannot make a definitive determination, and the Department has invited private-sector analysis.