USAF Griffin Missile Test, Unidentified Object on IR Sensors

Brief

At approximately 2027Z on 20 September 2024, a USAF special operations crew conducting Armed Overwatch under Operation Inherent Resolve fired an AGM-176 Griffin missile and immediately observed an unidentified object transit the MX-20 and MX-25 IR sensor fields of view at high speed between munition release and impact. The object produced a pronounced IR lens flare on both sensors, which the crew attributed to a significant heat source. The UAP was not reacquired after exiting the sensor frame, no effects on personnel or equipment were reported, and the observer assessment was benign. The report leaves open a notable unresolved question: whether a secondary object detached from the primary UAP before it departed the sensor field of view.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Incident

9/20/24

Location

Iraq

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

6 pages

Classification

SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY

Programs

Operation Inherent Resolve

Tags

IR lens flare, high speed transit, MX-20 IR sensor, MX-25 IR sensor, possible object separation, Iraq, Ayn Al Asad, 2024, Operation Inherent Resolve, AGM-176 Griffin, Armed Overwatch, AFSOC

Key points

• UAP observed at 2027:59Z on 20 September 2024, transiting the sensor field of view in the interval between AGM-176 munition release and munition impact.p.5
• UAP produced an IR lens flare on both the MX-20 and MX-25 IR sensors, assessed by the crew as indicating a significant heat source.p.6
• UAP moved at a high rate of speed through the sensor field of view; kinetic velocity, trajectory, and altitude are all listed as estimated with no numerical values recorded.p.6
• Physical state of the UAP logged as 'Solid'; no propulsion means, payload, or RF frequency recorded.p.5
• Report notes it is unknown whether a secondary object detached from the primary UAP immediately before it exited the sensor field of view.p.6
• UAP reaction to observation assessed as none; path of movement appeared predetermined and not responsive to the aircraft's detection.p.6
• No interrogation of the UAP attempted; no third-party observers reported an additional aircraft in the airspace.p.5
• Aircraft was at FL130, 170 KIAS, heading 096 degrees straight and level at time of observation; operational range was Ayn Al Asad ROZ Raindrop.p.5
• Observer assessment of UAP: Benign. No effects on persons, no effects on equipment, no objects or material recovered.p.5
• Mission was flown by a single aircraft from SOTU 016/16 SOS/27 SOW, total mission time 7 hours 6 minutes, departing and returning to OKAS.p.4

Verbatim

• AFTER WEAPONS RELEASE, THE WEAPONS SYSTEMS OFFICER (WSO) AND COMBAT SYSTEMS OFFICER (CSO) OBSERVED AN UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT "FLY" THROUGH THE AIRCRAFT SENSORS AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED.

  p.6

• THE UAP CREATED AN IR LENS FLARE ON THE MX-20 & MX-25 SENSORS, WHICH INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT HEAT SIGNATURE COMING FROM THE OBJECT.

  p.6

• IT IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME WHETHER AN OBJECT DETACHED ITSELF FROM THE PRIMARY UAP IMMEDIATELY BEFORE LEAVING THE SENSOR FIELD OF VIEW.

  p.6

• PATH OF MOVEMENT APPEARED PREDETERMINED AND NOT IN RESPONSE TO (b)(1)1.4a 's DETECTION

  p.6

• UAP FLEW THROUGH (b)(1)1.4a SENSOR IN BETWEEN MUNITION RELEASE AND MUNITION IMPACT

  p.5

• UAP CREATED IR LENS FLARE ON MX-20 & MX-25 SENSORS, INDICATING A SIGNIFICANT HEAT SOURCE. THE UAP MOVED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED THROUGH THE SENSOR FIELD OF VIEW. THE CREW MAINTAINED LASER ENERGY UNTIL THE MUNITION IMPACTED ITS DESIRED TARGET.

  p.6

Most interesting

• The UAP appeared precisely in the window between missile release and missile impact, raising the question of whether its presence was coincidental or correlated with the munition detonation.
• Both MX-20 and MX-25 IR sensors independently registered the IR lens flare, providing dual-sensor corroboration of the heat signature.
• The crew did not interrupt the engagement — they maintained laser energy on the target throughout the UAP's transit and the munition impacted its intended target.
• The aircraft carried a full countermeasures suite including AN/ALE-47 dispensers, AN-AAQ-24 IRCM, and 240 flares, yet none were deployed in response to the UAP.
• The possibility that a secondary object detached from the primary UAP is noted in two separate fields on page 6 — the anomalous characteristics field and the GENTEXT — suggesting the crew discussed it explicitly.
• The UAP event serial number is noted as partially incorrect: the CCMD-assigned numerical sequence was unknown at time of filing.
• Original classification carried a declassification date of 20490921 — 25 years from the incident — before being released in October 2025.