Which agency produced 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022?

196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022 is a primary-source record from Department of War. Its original classification was Declassified on release (narrative portion-marked S//REL in the original); FOUO and Privacy Act caveats applied.

What programs and topics appear in 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022?

196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022 references Operation Inherent Resolve, OP PHANTOM FLEX, AIRHANDLER version 2, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), USCENTCOM MDR 26-0084 to 26-0095 and Iraq.

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DISCLOSURE / FILE

196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022

DOW-UAP-D106, Mission Report, Iraq, 2022

A U.S. Air Force mission report (MISREP 7468013) from a 196th Attack Squadron reconnaissance sortie over Iraq on May 5, 2022, logging UAP the crew watched on full-motion video moving at 80 to 180 mph inside target area 92AS, sized about 1 to 2 meters, altitude undetermined.

Brief

Filed under Operation Inherent Resolve through the 609th air operations center and USCENTCOM, the report records an 18-hour-25-minute reconnaissance mission that took off at 0614Z on May 5, 2022 after a weather delay at the launch and recovery element. At 2026Z, while scanning a point of interest in MGRS grid 38SMD38, the crew reported periodically observing UAP flying sporadically (the report's spelling is SPORATICALLY) inside the 92AS target area; the aircraft's MTS sensor put their speed at 80 to 180 mph, their size at roughly 1 to 2 meters, and their altitude as undetermined. The structured observation block places the aircraft at FL200 and 100 knots indicated, 4.98 nautical miles from the activity, and labels the activity "UAS" even though the narrative calls it UAP. USCENTCOM released the record under mandatory declassification review 26-0084 to 26-0095, approved for release to AARO with a 06/30/26 stamp and personnel names withheld; it accompanies the infrared stills catalogued as DOW-UAP-PR130 and DOW-UAP-PR131.

Metadata

Agency: Department of War
Release: 9/18/26
Incident: 2022
Location: Iraq
Type: PDF • .pdf
Length: 6 pages
Classification: Declassified on release (narrative portion-marked S//REL in the original); FOUO and Privacy Act caveats applied
Programs: Operation Inherent Resolve, OP PHANTOM FLEX, AIRHANDLER version 2, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), USCENTCOM MDR 26-0084 to 26-0095
Tags: Iraq, 2022, Operation Inherent Resolve, target area 92AS, full-motion video, MTS sensor, 1-2 meter objects, 80-180 mph, altitude undetermined, multiple objects, labeled UAS, USCENTCOM MDR, MISREP, AARO

Key points

The report is MISREP 7468013, a U.S. Air Force mission report originated by the 196th Attack Squadron (196 ATKS) under Operation Inherent Resolve, routed through the 609th operations center, Air Combat Command (ACC), and USCENTCOM.p.1
At 2026Z on May 5, 2022, while scanning a point of interest in MGRS grid 38SMD38, the crew reported that it "PERIODICALLY OBSERVED UAPS FLYING SPORATICALLY WITHIN THE TARGET AREA OF 92AS."p.1
According to the aircraft's MTS sensor, the objects were moving between 80 and 180 mph; the crew could not determine altitude, estimated size at roughly 1 to 2 meters, and stated the UAP did not hinder the mission.p.6
The structured observation block puts the reporting aircraft at FL200, 100 knots indicated airspeed, heading -75, and 4.98 nautical miles from the observed activity, with the method of observation listed as FMV (full-motion video) and the activity described as "UAS".p.6
Takeoff was 050614Z MAY22, delayed by weather at the launch and recovery element (LRE); the single aircraft was on station in killbox 91AS5 from 0624Z, off station at 060014Z, and landed at 060039Z, for 17 hours 50 minutes on station and 18 hours 25 minutes total mission time.p.4
The equipment page lists the targeting pod as ANDAS4 and additional avionics as AHv2; every radar, warning-receiver, countermeasure, and weapons field is blank, and the callsign is withheld under exemption 1.4a.p.3
From 1054Z to 2100Z the aircraft supported OP PHANTOM FLEX in support of a unit the report calls MAG, conducting FMV and SIGINT; pre-coordination 409 minutes before takeoff was rated satisfactory, weather was logged as not a factor, and the intel gap was marked as filled.p.5
SIGINT was collected via AIRHANDLER version 2 from 0640Z to 0005Z, and the full-motion video was exploited by DGS 1 (Distributed Ground Station 1) after the sortie.p.1
The original declassification date was set at 20470506 (May 6, 2047); the file was instead declassified under USCENTCOM MDR 26-0084 to 26-0095, approved for release to AARO with FOUO and Privacy Act caveats, and stamped pages 031 through 036.p.1
The report's point of contact is a TSgt at 163 ATKW (163 AW), quality control was done by a contractor at 15AF Det 1 PAROC, and the approver is a SSgt at ISRD, 379 AEW, working through the 609 CAOC; all names, phone numbers, and emails are withheld under (b)(6).p.2

Verbatim

PERIODICALLY OBSERVED UAPS FLYING SPORATICALLY WITHIN THE TARGET AREA OF 92AS.
p.1
THE UAPs WERE TRAVELLING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS BETWEEN 80-180 MPH. WE WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE ALTITUDE. THE SIZE OF THE UAPs WERE APPROXIMATELY 1-2 METERS. THE UAPs DID NOT HINDER THE MISSION.
p.6
FMV WAS EXPLOITED BY DGS 1.
p.1
Observed Activity Description: UAS
p.6
Aircraft Altitude: FL200
p.6
Total Time On Station: 17 hours 50 minutes
p.4
WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR.
p.5
PRE-COORDINATION WAS SATISFACTORY DUE TO THE SUPPORTED UNIT PROVIDING ADEQUATE MISSION INFORMATION.
p.5

Most interesting

The structured observation field reads "Observed Activity Description: UAS" while the free-text narrative on the same page calls the objects UAPs; the report does not reconcile the two labels.
The reporting aircraft was at FL200 (about 20,000 feet) and 100 knots indicated, 4.98 nautical miles from the activity, yet the crew recorded that it was unable to determine the altitude of objects it sized at 1 to 2 meters.
The page-5 ISR narrative names the supported operation as OP PHANTOM FLEX, while the structured Supported Operation field on the same page is withheld under exemption 1.4a.
The page-1 narrative ends with the line CDR74 LANDED AT OKAS, while the landing-location ICAO field on page 4 is withheld under 1.4g; read as an ICAO identifier, OKAS is Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, a reading the report itself does not state.
The targeting-pod field reads ANDAS4 and the extra avionics AHv2 (AIRHANDLER version 2). AN/DAS-4 is a designation associated with Raytheon's Multi-Spectral Targeting System on the MQ-9 Reaper, and the 196th Attack Squadron flies the MQ-9, so the record works as if an MQ-9 filed it; the asset type and tail number are withheld under 1.4a and 1.4g, so treat this as a reading, not something the report states.
The classification block set declassification for 20470506, 25 years after the event; the USCENTCOM mandatory declassification review released it in 2026, about 21 years ahead of that date.
The sighting was logged 34 minutes before the aircraft was cleared to return to base at 2100Z, and pre-mission coordination with the supported unit happened 409 minutes (nearly 7 hours) before takeoff.

Cross-references

PDFProbable UAPs at 80 to 180 MPH, 2022Department of War
PDFSingle UAP Over Iraq, May 2022Department of War
PDF80-180 MPH Infrared Object Over Iraq, 2022Department of War
PDFDual Thermal Signatures, Iraq 2022Department of War
PDFPossible UAP/UAV Over Baghdad, December 2022Department of War
PDFFive Sensor Targets Over Iraq, May 2022Department of War
PDFISR Sortie Over Eastern Mediterranean, May 2022Department of War
VIDCENTCOM Dual Sensor Object, Middle EastDepartment of War

Cited in

FINDINGInside target area 92AS, the narrative says UAP. The observation field says UAS.War.gov September 18, 2026
TAKEAWAYEstimated, Unknown, Unresolved: The Sensor Files of 2022 to 2025p.1War.gov September 18, 2026

Related research

PAPERUAP in Crowded Skies: Atmospheric and Orbital Threat Reduction in an Age of Geopolitical UncertaintyFoundation · 2024
PAPERBeneath the Surface: We May Learn More about UAP by Looking in the OceanGallaudet · 2023
PAPERUnidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Team. Final ReportSpergel et al. · 2023

Common questions

What is 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022?: A U.S. Air Force mission report (MISREP 7468013) from a 196th Attack Squadron reconnaissance sortie over Iraq on May 5, 2022, logging UAP the crew watched on full-motion video moving at 80 to 180 mph inside target area 92AS, sized about 1 to 2 meters, altitude undetermined.
What does 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022 reveal?: The report is MISREP 7468013, a U.S. Air Force mission report originated by the 196th Attack Squadron (196 ATKS) under Operation Inherent Resolve, routed through the 609th operations center, Air Combat Command (ACC), and USCENTCOM. At 2026Z on May 5, 2022, while scanning a point of interest in MGRS grid 38SMD38, the crew reported that it "PERIODICALLY…
Which agency produced 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022?: 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022 is a primary-source record from Department of War. Its original classification was Declassified on release (narrative portion-marked S//REL in the original); FOUO and Privacy Act caveats applied.
When is 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022 dated?: 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022 is dated 2022-05-05. It was declassified 2026-06-30.
What programs and topics appear in 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022?: 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022 references Operation Inherent Resolve, OP PHANTOM FLEX, AIRHANDLER version 2, All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), USCENTCOM MDR 26-0084 to 26-0095 and Iraq.
What does 196th Squadron Tracks Meter-Sized Objects, Iraq 2022 say, in its own words?: "PERIODICALLY OBSERVED UAPS FLYING SPORATICALLY WITHIN THE TARGET AREA OF 92AS." (source p. 1).

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