F-15E Sightings Over Shaddadi, Syria
DOW-UAP-D19, Mission Report, Syria, February 21, 2023
A U.S. Air Force MISREP documenting two UAP sightings — three unidentified objects and one possible balloon — by F-15E crews IVO Shaddadi, Syria, on February 21, 2023, during Operation Inherent Resolve.
Brief
A two-ship F-15E formation from the 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flew a Defensive Counter Air sortie under Operation Inherent Resolve and reported three possible UAP at FL240 IVO Shaddadi at 0025Z, then one possible balloon at FL210 in the same area at 0135Z. The UAP yielded no radar returns from the onboard APG-82 AESA radar, yet two of the objects were simultaneously IR significant. Weapons System Video was produced at both sightings. Earlier in the mission, the crew recorded three minutes of MFT radar jamming at FL270, assessed by operators as likely Turkish X-band emissions crossing the Syrian-Turkish border.
Metadata
- Agency
- Department of War
- Release
- 5/8/26
- Incident
- 2/21/23
- Location
- Syria
- Type
- PDF • .pdf
- Length
- 10 pages
- Classification
- SECRET
- Programs
- OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE
- Tags
- UAP, possible balloon, no radar return, IR significant, Syria, Shaddadi, FL240, FL210, 2023, F-15E, OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE, MFT radar jamming
Key points
- Three possible UAP observed at FL240 IVO Shaddadi at approximately 0025Z while the F-15E formation was cruising in CAP at FL270 — approximately 3,000 feet above the objects.p.9
- The APG-82 AESA radar produced zero returns from the three UAP; two of the objects appeared white and were IR significant.p.9
- Weapons System Video (WSV) was produced during both the UAP sighting and the balloon sighting; no health effects were reported by aircrew.p.9
- A second, separate observation logged one possible balloon at FL210 IVO Shaddadi at approximately 0135Z, also with WSV produced.p.10
- MFT radar jamming recorded at FL270 from 0021Z to 0024Z (3 minutes), partially affecting the APG-82 across 8.8-9.9 GHz; JSIR Report ID 340377 filed.p.8
- Operators assessed the radar jamming as likely a Turkish X-band jammer operating on or across the Syrian-Turkish border, characterizing it as 'standard on azimuth' for that area.p.9
- The mission was classified SECRET and originally scheduled for declassification on January 20, 2048; declassified early by MG Richard A. Harrison on October 8, 2025 under MDR 25-0094 through MDR 25-0099.p.2
- Both F-15Es were armed with AIM-120D and AIM-9X missiles and carried SNIPER-SE targeting pods throughout the sortie.p.4
Verbatim
Most interesting
- The APG-82 — one of the most capable AESA radars in U.S. service — returned nothing from the three UAP, while two of the objects simultaneously showed IR significance, a combination inconsistent with balloons, debris, or conventional aircraft at altitude.
- The radar jamming event ended at 0024Z and the first UAP sighting was logged at 0025Z, one minute later, in the same geographic area; the report does not assert a connection between the two events.
- The word 'CRUSING' appears verbatim in the gentext of page 9, a likely typo for 'CRUISING,' preserved unchanged in the declassified record.
- The document's public description on war.gov states the balloon was observed at 'approximately 2,100 feet'; the MISREP itself records FL210, which corresponds to approximately 21,000 feet MSL — a factor-of-ten discrepancy.
- WSV (Weapons System Video) was confirmed produced for both sightings but no video file is attached to or included in this declassified release.
- The 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron was assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, whose lineage traces directly to the World War II Tuskegee Airmen's 332nd Fighter Group.
- Weather at both sighting times was noted as cloudy, which may limit WSV quality and excludes the objects from being straightforward astronomical misidentifications.