Navy ISR Tracks White Object Over Persian Gulf, May 2020

Brief

On May 14, 2020, at approximately 20:40Z, a U.S. Navy aircrew conducting an ISR tasking over the Persian Gulf observed a solid white, round, unidentified object fly through the sensor field-of-view at a constant altitude of approximately 22,000 feet. The object was briefly lost then reacquired; the crew tracked it at 4x zoom as it made erratic movements above the water before losing contact again due to poor track placement. The radar trackfile was intermittent, no EA indications were recorded, and the object displayed no apparent propulsion or markings. The form was declassified by MG Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, and approved for release to AARO on January 26, 2026.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Incident

5/14/20

Location

Persian Gulf

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

1 pages

Classification

UNCLASSIFIED

Programs

SPEAR

Tags

white round object, FLIR thermal Black Hot, Persian Gulf, 2020, SPEAR, Range Fouler, constant altitude 22000 ft, erratic movement above water

Key points

• A single solid white round object was detected at approximately 22,000 feet with constant altitude during a night ISR mission.p.1
• Detection occurred at 20:40:00Z on May 14, 2020, in Contact Working Area 28314 over the Persian Gulf.p.1
• The radar trackfile was intermittent; no EA indications were recorded and no apparent propulsion, moving parts, or markings were noted.p.1
• The crew obtained 4x sensor zoom on the object but lost it again due to poor track placement.p.1
• The object made what the crew described as erratic movements above the water surface.p.1
• The sensor operator continuously manipulated the sensor to maintain eyes on the object — evidenced by alternating visibility of background water waves.p.1
• Identifying information for aircrew and squadron was sanitized by the SPEAR program prior to analysis.p.1
• The form instructs crews to save all display tapes as .wmv files and upload to a designated repository, indicating a systematic UAP data collection infrastructure was operationally active by 2020.p.1

Verbatim

• While preforming an ISR tasking (UL TN/Black Hot/Lin), a solid w ite 1 object flew through the FOV.

  p.1

• There was a temporarily lose of the object but re-acquired shortly there after.

  p.1

• The crew was able to follow the object as it appeared to make erratic moments above the water.

  p.1

• During the follow, crew was able to obtain 4x zoom on the object but lost the object due to poor track place ent.

  p.1

• While following, the sensor operator was continuously manipulating the sensor to maintain eyes on th1 e object.

  p.1

• This is apparent by the waves of the water in the background being visible and not being visible.

  p.1

Most interesting

• The form instructs crews to save all sensor display footage as .wmv files to a shared repository — a standardized collection pipeline for UAP sensor data was operationally active in 2020, well before the formal AARO disclosure timeline.
• The sensor operator's continuous camera manipulation is cited as evidence of genuine object motion: alternating visibility of background water waves confirms the sensor was actively tracking something, not drifting or recording static background.
• SPEAR is the Navy program that sanitizes all reports of identifying aircrew and squadron information before forwarding for analysis, creating a deliberate firewall between witness identity and the data record.
• The sensor mode logged as 'UL TN/Black Hot/Lin' indicates the FLIR was operating in a thermographic black-hot mode — meaning the object registered as a bright white infrared return rather than a visible-light reflection, pointing to an anomalous thermal signature.
• The object held a constant altitude of approximately 22,000 feet with no apparent propulsion and no moving parts detected — an aerodynamically unusual profile for any known aircraft class.