USAF ISR Asset Tracks Two Objects Over Persian Gulf

Brief

On 24 October 2023, a single-aircraft asset from the 50th Attack Squadron departed Al Dhafra Air Base (OMAM) on a joint surveillance and reconnaissance mission in support of Operation SPARTAN SHIELD. The crew received a professional guard call from Iranian Air Defense at 0145Z demanding distance from the border, and responded that they were conducting routine operations in international airspace. At 0241Z and again at 0322Z, the crew reported two separate UAP events: the first registered a cold thermal signature at an estimated 320 MPH; the second logged no thermal data but carried an estimated velocity of 440 MPH. Both were assessed as benign, physically solid, and not under intelligent control. Full-motion video from the mission was subsequently exploited by DGS-2.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Incident

10/31/23

Location

Persian Gulf

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

9 pages

Classification

SECRET//NOFORN

Programs

OP SPARTAN SHIELD, IRISH SICKLE

Tags

solid UAP, thermal-cold signature, 320 MPH, 440 MPH, Persian Gulf, 2023, OP SPARTAN SHIELD, IRISH SICKLE, benign assessment, FMV exploitation

Key points

• Two UAP events were reported: the first at 0241Z and the second at 0322Z, approximately 41 minutes apart, in adjacent grid squares over the Persian Gulf.p.1
• First UAP registered a cold thermal signature -- anomalous for conventional aircraft -- at an estimated velocity of 320 MPH.p.7
• Second UAP was estimated at 440 MPH, 120 MPH faster than the first, with all sensor signatures listed as unknown.p.9
• Both UAPs were assessed by the observer as benign, physically solid, and not under intelligent control; neither was engaged.p.7
• Iranian Air Defense issued a professional guard call at 0145Z -- roughly 56 minutes before the first UAP appeared -- demanding the aircraft maintain safe distance from the border.p.6
• The mission covered 17 hours 17 minutes on station, conducting IMINT and SIGINT collection for OP SPARTAN SHIELD in support of NAVCENT.p.5
• Full-motion video (FMV) collected during the mission was exploited by DGS-2 after landing at OMAM.p.1
• Declassification is formally set for 25 October 2048, representing a 25-year hold from the incident.p.2

Verbatim

• MAINTAIN SAFE DISTANCE FROM BORDER

  p.6

• THIS IS A COALITION AIRCRAFT CONDUCTING ROUTINE OPERATIONS IN INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE

  p.6

• UAP Signatures: THERMAL SHOWED COLD

  p.7

• Observer Assessment of UAP: Benign

  p.7

• UAP Under Intelligent Control (yes/no; if yes, describe): NO

  p.7

• Kinetic Velocity: 320 MPH

  p.8

• Kinetic Velocity: 440 MPH

  p.9

• FMV WAS EXPLOITED BYDGS-2

  p.1

Most interesting

• The cold thermal return on the first UAP is the report's most striking data point: conventional aircraft, missiles, and most drones emit detectable heat; a cold IR signature suggests either a passive object with no propulsion heat (e.g., a high-altitude balloon) or propulsion technology that generates no waste heat.
• The 20-hour 43-minute total mission time is consistent with a high-endurance unmanned platform -- the 50th Attack Squadron operates MQ-9 Reapers -- which would mean the UAP observer was a remote crew member, not a cockpit pilot physically present at the scene.
• The second UAP appeared 41 minutes after the first at an estimated 120 MPH higher velocity, in a nearby grid square. The report treats them as two discrete events and draws no connection between them.
• Iranian Air Defense issued its guard call at 0145Z while the aircraft was in the 40RBP grid area at FL230. The two UAP sightings occurred in the 39RYJ and 39RXK6 grid squares at FL243, placing them in a different sector -- no geographic or causal link is established in the document.
• The UAP physical state is logged as 'Solid' for both events while every descriptive field -- size, shape, color, markings -- is marked unknown, meaning the sensor returned a solid contact with no accompanying visual or characterizable data.
• The report's declassification date of 20481025 was set at time of filing in 2023, yet the document was released by USCENTCOM to AARO on 12 May 2026 under a FOUO/Privacy Act caveat, more than 23 years ahead of its scheduled declassification.