E-4 Operator Tracks Plasma Ball Over Syria, October 2024

Brief

An E-4 operator assigned to the 12th Special Operations Squadron observed what the official form records as a 'Plasma' UAP — described in the GENTEXT as a 'misshapen and uneven ball of white light' — on the FMV camera feed between 1559Z and 1644Z on October 20, 2024. The phenomenon manifested as multiple light/glare events crossing the camera at different angles and a halo effect at the top of the feed; kinetic parameters (altitude, velocity, trajectory) were all listed as estimated with no values recorded. The aircrew explicitly ruled out a laser-illumination event, assessed the UAP as benign with no mission impact, and did not interrogate it with any onboard sensor.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Incident

10/20/24

Location

Syria

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

10 pages

Classification

SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY (declassified 2025-10-24)

Programs

INHERENT RESOLVE, SANTA FE

Tags

white light orb, plasma, halo effect, FMV-only observation, Syria, 2024, INHERENT RESOLVE, no kinetic data, lasing ruled out

Key points

• The UAP physical state is officially categorized in the form field as 'Plasma,' though no spectral or sensor analysis is cited to support that characterization.p.8
• The phenomenon was observed exclusively on the FMV camera feed; no interrogation sensors were cued and no independent confirmation from a third-party observer was reported.p.7
• All kinetic fields — altitude, depth, velocity, and trajectory — are listed with 'Estimated' accuracy and blank values, meaning no measurable motion data was captured.p.8
• The aircrew explicitly assessed the event as 'not a lasing event,' distinguishing it from a known laser-illumination threat.p.8
• Light events occurred at 1559Z, 1602Z, and 1644Z (crossing the FMV camera directly) and at 1609Z and 1620Z (observed as a halo effect at the top of the feed) — six discrete light appearances over 45 minutes.p.9
• The observing aircraft was orbiting at 20,088 feet at 144 knots at grid 37SFU44 when the UAP was first detected.p.7
• The mission report misspells 'aerial' as 'ARRIEAL' in the initial narrative entry flagging the UAP observation.p.1
• The FMV footage was exploited by a Ground Exploitation Team (GET), but no exploited imagery or video attachment is included in this release.p.1
• The observer holds the rank of E-4 and is assigned to the 27th Special Operations Wing / 12th Special Operations Squadron under AFSOC.p.8
• The UAP event serial number is '201559ZOCT2024,' anchoring the official record to the first detection timestamp.p.8

Verbatim

• MISHAPEN AND UNEVEN BALL OF WHITE LIGHT.

  p.9

• FROM 1559Z-1644Z, (b)(1)1.4a OBSERVED MULTIPLE GLARES OR LIGHT FROM UNKNOWN ORIGIN AT DIFFERENT ANGLES AND DIRECTIONS.

  p.9

• AT 1609Z AND 1620Z, (b)(1)1.4a OBSERVED A LIGHT/GLARE HALO EFFECT AT THE TOP OF (b)(1)1.4a FMV FEED.

  p.9

• AIRCREW CONSIDERED THIS NO MISSION IMPACT OR CHANGE AND UAP WAS BENIGN.

  p.9

• LIGHT/GLARE FROM UNKNOWN ORIGIN FLASHED ACCROSS FMV CAMERA FEED. AIRCREW ASSESSED THIS NOT TO BE A LASING EVENT.

  p.8

• LIGHT/GLARE FLASHED OF UNK ORIGIN FLASHED ACCROSS FMV CAMERA FEED

  p.7

• AT 1559Z, (b)(1)1.4a (b)(1)1.4a OBSERVED AN UNIDENTIFIED ARRIEAL PHENOMENON (SEE UAP 1).

  p.1

Most interesting

• The form officially designates UAP Physical State as 'Plasma' — a classification with no supporting sensor evidence cited anywhere in the 10 pages.
• Despite 13+ hours of SIGINT collection on the same mission, no SIGINT returns against the UAP are mentioned; the RF frequency and RF duration fields are both blank.
• The word 'ARRIEAL' (for 'aerial') in the page 1 narrative is a verbatim transcription error preserved through classification and declassification.
• The UAP was observed during the middle ISR tasking window (1230Z–2318Z), which was itself a dynamically re-tasked mission targeting violent extremist organizations — meaning the operator was already in active surveillance mode when the phenomenon appeared.
• All six kinetic data fields (altitude, depth, velocity, trajectory, and their accuracy grades) were filled as 'Estimated' with no numerical values, leaving the UAP's movement entirely uncharacterized in the official record.
• The targeting pod listed is AN/DAS-4, a multi-spectral sensor used on AC/MC-130 variants — consistent with a 12 SOS AFSOC platform — yet it was not directed at the UAP.
• The mission accumulated 20 hours and 24 minutes of flight time with 14 hours and 22 minutes of FMV coverage, making the ~45-minute UAP window a small fraction of an otherwise routine ISR collection effort.