DISCLOSURE / FILESandia Labs Enhanced Pantex Radar Tower Photos
DOE-UAP-D001, Enhanced PANTEX Imagery
A two-page image exhibit from a Pantex nuclear facility unidentified object incident report, presenting ground surveillance radar tower imagery enhanced by Sandia National Labs — pages 5–6 of a six-page report.
Brief
The document comprises the final two pages of a Pantex Unidentified Object Incident Report produced under the UCNI (Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information) designation and managed by Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC. Page 5 carries a ground surveillance radar tower image with at least one redaction under exemption (b)(3). Page 6 presents Sandia National Labs enhanced images of the object. The first four pages — which would contain incident narrative, date, time, and witness data — were not provided in this release. No prose description of the object's appearance, behavior, or trajectory is present in the extractable text.
Metadata
- Agency
- Department of Energy
- Release
- 5/22/26
- Type
- PDF • .pdf
- Length
- 2 pages
- Classification
- UCNI
- Programs
- Pantex Plant, Sandia National Laboratories, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC
- Tags
- nuclear facility, ground surveillance radar, Pantex, DOE, Sandia enhancement, image exhibit, UCNI-controlled
Key points
- The report originates from Pantex, a federally managed nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility in the Texas Panhandle, indicating the incident occurred at or near a high-security nuclear site.p.5
- The document is designated UCNI — Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information — a DOE information-control category that does not constitute full classification but restricts public dissemination under the Atomic Energy Act.p.5
- At least one redaction on page 5 is marked (b)(3), indicating a FOIA statutory exemption — consistent with UCNI or Restricted Data protection under 42 U.S.C. § 2162.p.5
- Sandia National Laboratories, a DOE national security lab, performed image enhancement on the object, suggesting the raw radar imagery was of sufficient interest to warrant formal analytical processing.p.6
- The managing entity is Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC — the contractor that operates the Pantex Plant and Y-12 National Security Complex for the National Nuclear Security Administration.p.5
- This exhibit represents pages 5–6 of a six-page report; pages 1–4 contain the incident narrative and are absent from this release, leaving the object's date, behavior, and classification of origin undisclosed.p.6
Most interesting
- Pantex is the sole U.S. facility responsible for the final assembly and disassembly of nuclear warheads — an unidentified object incident there carries higher national security weight than an equivalent report from a conventional military base.
- Sandia National Laboratories' involvement in image enhancement places two separate DOE entities — Pantex's contractor and Sandia — in the chain of custody for this UAP evidence, implying inter-laboratory coordination.
- The (b)(3) redaction on page 5 is notable: in the nuclear context, this exemption typically shields Restricted Data or UCNI under the Atomic Energy Act, which operates independently of and alongside standard classified-information law.
- Only 2 of 6 pages carry any extractable text; pages 1–4, which presumably contain the incident date, time, observer identity, and object description, were either withheld or are image-only in this release.
- Ground surveillance radar at Pantex is part of the facility's physical protection system — the fact that the radar produced imagery compelling enough to trigger a formal incident report and subsequent Sandia enhancement suggests the return was anomalous by operator judgment.