F-16 SNIPER Pod Tracks Twenty Objects Over Syria

Brief

On 31 March 2023, two F-16CM aircraft from the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (378 AEW, AFCENT) flew a Defensive Counter-Air mission over the Eastern Syria Security Area. At 2302:05Z, northeast of a point designated RLZ, the crew observed between 10 and 20 bright objects maneuvering rapidly west to east-northeast at estimated altitudes above FL600 while the aircraft held FL265. The SNIPER LDP targeting pod acquired the objects in TV mode for roughly 20 seconds before they dimmed and disappeared. An analyst noted that the objects flew in no formation — unlike UAP sighted on prior sorties — and that a targeting-pod comparison between the UAP and a star produced different signatures.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Incident

3/31/23

Location

Iraq

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

6 pages

Classification

SECRET (declassified 2025-10-08)

Programs

OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE

Tags

bright objects, rapid maneuver, FL600+, Iraq, 2023, F-16CM, SNIPER LDP, TV mode, 10-20 objects, Operation Inherent Resolve, electro-optical comparison

Key points

• Two F-16CM aircraft from 77 EFS launched from Prince Sultan Air Base (OEPS) for a DCA mission over the ESSA, operating under JTAC callsign KINGPIN.p.1
• UAP contact initiated at 2302:05Z on 31 March 2023, northeast of RLZ, while the flight was at FL265.p.6
• Between 10 and 20 possible UAP were sighted (reported as 'POSS 10X-20X').p.6
• Objects estimated at FL600+, placing them more than 33,000 feet above the observing aircraft.p.6
• The SNIPER LDP targeting pod achieved a track in TV mode for approximately 20 seconds before the objects dimmed and dropped off the display.p.6
• Objects moved rapidly west to east-northeast and were not seen in any formation — explicitly distinguished from formation patterns observed in prior sorties.p.6
• Analyst comparison of the targeting pod image of the UAP against a star produced 'different' results, indicating a distinct electro-optical signature.p.6
• Both aircraft carried a full combat load: AIM-120, AIM-9X, M61A1 cannon (510 rounds), ALQ-184 ECM pod, ALE-50 towed decoys, and SNIPER LDP targeting pods.p.4
• Document was originally classified SECRET with a scheduled declassification of 1 April 2048; actually declassified by USCENTCOM Chief of Staff MG Richard A. Harrison on 8 October 2025 for release to AARO.p.1

Verbatim

• FLT OBSERVED MULTIPLE POSS UAPS. (SEE UAP)

  p.1

• FLT OBSERVED SEVERAL BRIGHT OBJECTS MANUEVERING QUICKLY WEST TO EAST NE OF RLZ

  p.6

• FLT WOULD OBTAIN POSS UAP ON TARGETING POD (TV MODE) FOR APPROX 20S BEFORE OBJECT WOULD BECOME DIM AND DISAPPEAR FROM TARGETING POD.

  p.6

• NONE OF THE OBJECTS WERE SEEN IN ANY FORMATIONS AS PREVIOUSLY SEEN IN PRIOR SORTIES. NFTR.

  p.6

• FLT COMPARED TARGETING POD BETWEEN POSS UAP AND STAR. RESULTS WERE DIFFERENT.

  p.6

• Number of UAP Sighted: POSS 10X-20X

  p.6

• UAP Altitude, Depth, Velocity, and Trajectory (indicate estimated or measured): FL600+

  p.6

Most interesting

• The aircraft flew at FL265 (roughly 26,500 feet) while the UAP were estimated at FL600+, above 60,000 feet — well beyond the operational ceiling of the F-16CM and into the stratosphere.
• The phrase 'NONE OF THE OBJECTS WERE SEEN IN ANY FORMATIONS AS PREVIOUSLY SEEN IN PRIOR SORTIES' is an implicit admission that this crew had already encountered UAP on earlier missions, some of which were flying in formation.
• The targeting pod comparison between the UAP and a star — described only as producing 'different results' — suggests the objects had an electro-optical or infrared signature that did not match a stellar point source, the most common false-positive explanation for airborne sensor contacts.
• The UAP count of 'POSS 10X-20X' is deliberately imprecise, reflecting genuine difficulty in counting discrete objects that were bright, fast-moving, and at extreme altitude.
• The file header lists the location as 'Southern United States,' but the document text places the event unambiguously over Iraq (Prince Sultan Air Base, ESSA, Operation Inherent Resolve) — a metadata discrepancy in the war.gov release listing.
• The scheduled declassification date embedded in the original document was 1 April 2048 — 25 years out — yet it was declassified in October 2025 under a mandatory declassification review (MDR 25-0094 through MDR 25-0099).