Unidentified Object Over Iraq, May 2022, Screener Unable to Identify

Brief

Mission Report DOW-UAP-D12 documents a SECRET-classified reconnaissance sortie flown out of OKAS under Operation INHERENT RESOLVE on 20 May 2022, totaling 18 hours and 54 minutes. During the mission — which included FMV collection and SIGINT via AIRHANDLER VERSION 2 in support of OP PHANTOM FLEX — the crew observed a single UAP at 2043Z flying north to northeast. The observer followed the object as long as possible but the screener could not obtain a positive identification. All physical and performance characteristics of the UAP, including altitude, velocity, and trajectory, were logged as unknown.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Incident

5/20/22

Location

Iraq

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

6 pages

Classification

SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY (declassified 8 October 2025)

Programs

PHANTOM FLEX, INHERENT RESOLVE

Tags

UAP unidentified, north-northeast trajectory, FMV sensor, SIGINT collection, Iraq, 2022, PHANTOM FLEX, INHERENT RESOLVE, long-endurance ISR, single object, no RF signature

Key points

• A single UAP was observed at 2043Z on 20 May 2022, flying north to northeast; MDS type and tail number were both logged as UNK.p.6
• The screener followed the UAP as long as possible but could not obtain a positive identification.p.6
• Friendly aircraft was at 18,000 FT altitude when the UAP was first sighted at grid 38SMC79 [redacted] 70 [redacted].p.6
• No RF emissions (frequency or duration) were detected from the UAP; UAP effects on persons field is blank.p.6
• The aircraft collected SIGINT via AIRHANDLER VERSION 2 from 0614Z to 2346Z; FMV was exploited by DGS 1.p.1
• The mission supported OP PHANTOM FLEX under Operation INHERENT RESOLVE (USCENTCOM), originating and recovering at OKAS.p.1
• Total mission duration was 18 hours 54 minutes; pre-coordination with MAG was 136 minutes prior to takeoff and assessed as satisfactory.p.5
• Weather was explicitly noted as not a factor, ruling out an atmospheric explanation for the observation.p.5

Verbatim

• (S//REL) 1.4a 1.4a OBSERVED A UAP AT 2043Z FLY NORTH TO NORTH EAST AND FOLLOWED AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. 1.4a SCREENER COULD NOT GET A POSITIVE ID ON THE UAP.

  p.6

• (S//REL) AT 0542Z, 1.4a TOOK OFF LATE FROM OKAS. AT 0551Z, 1.4a HANDED OVER FROM THE LRE. FROM 0614Z TO 2346Z, 1.4a COLLECTED SIGINT VIA AIRHANDLER VERSION 2.

  p.1

• FMV WAS EXPLOITED BY DGS 1.

  p.1

• (U) WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR

  p.5

• (S//REL) 1.4a COORDINATED WITH MAG 136 MINUTES PRIOR TO TAKE OFF. PRE-COORDINATION WAS SATISFACTORY DUE TO THE SUPPORTED UNIT PROVIDING ADEQUATE MISSION INFORMATION.

  p.5

• • Number of UAP Sighted: 1

  p.6

• • Friendly Aircraft Altitude/Depth: 18,000FT

  p.6

Most interesting

• The UAP's MDS type and tail number were both logged as 'UNK' — the same structured fields used to identify friendly aircraft in the report, suggesting the system expected a conventional aircraft and found nothing to populate.
• The original declassification date stamped on the document was 20470521 — 25 years out — before the document was released early on 8 October 2025.
• Both the UAP first-seen location (38SMC79) and the friendly aircraft location (38S MC 85) fall within the same MGRS 100km grid square, placing the encounter close to the aircraft's operational area.
• The UAP sighting occurred at 2043Z, only 38 minutes before the aircraft was cleared off station at 2121Z — near the very end of the on-station window.
• Despite the aircraft carrying both a ANDAS4 targeting pod and AIRHANDLER VERSION 2 SIGINT suite — two active collection systems — no sensor data on the UAP itself was captured beyond the visual FMV observation.
• The UAP RF fields for frequency and duration are listed as dashes, indicating no electronic emissions were detected from the object during the encounter.