Navy O-2 Tracks Three Objects In Arabian Gulf Dusk

Brief

On August 31, 2020, at dusk, an O-2-ranked pilot assigned to the 482nd Attack Squadron tracked multiple UAP on a sensor display while operating in the Arabian Gulf. An initial contact was overtaken by a second object of identical size and shape but substantially higher speed; at one point, three contacts appeared simultaneously and were observed 'moving amongst each other.' The pilot selected 'Other Shape' and apparent propulsion on the form's descriptor fields, leaving all conventional shape categories unchecked. The report was filed through the SPEAR program, which strips all identifying aircrew and squadron information before analysis.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Incident

8/31/20

Location

Arabian Gulf

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

1 pages

Classification

FOUO

Programs

SPEAR

Tags

three contacts, sensor display, Arabian Gulf, 2020, SPEAR, high differential speed, formation maneuvering, Other Shape, constant altitude, O-2 pilot

Key points

• Reporting pilot held rank O-2 and was assigned to the 482nd Attack Squadron; SPEAR protocol strips all identifying information from the record prior to analysis.p.1
• The initial object was overtaken by a second contact of identical size and shape but 'much higher speed,' indicating significant differential velocity between the two UAP.p.1
• At one point during tracking, three contacts appeared simultaneously on the sensor display and were observed 'moving amongst each other.'p.1
• The pilot selected 'Other Shape' for the contact descriptor; all conventional shape checkboxes (round, square, balloon, winged/airframe) were left unchecked, and apparent propulsion was indicated.p.1
• Contact altitude was recorded as constant; the direction/speed field reads 150/230.p.1
• The form was filed under USCENTCOM jurisdiction; release notation reads 'USCENTCOM MOR 26-0028, Approved for Release to MRO, FOUO / PA applies 03/16/26.'p.1
• The form instructs aircrew to preserve all display tapes as .wmv files and upload them to a SPEAR repository; no media accompanies this released document.p.1

Verbatim

• Saw the initial object fly through the screen and started tracking i .

  p.1

• Initial object was surpassed by another object of same size and shape but much higher speed.

  p.1

• there were three on the screen at the same time moving amongst each other.

  p.1

Most interesting

• SPEAR — the Navy's standardized UAP reporting pipeline — strips aircrew and squadron identities from reports before analysis, meaning the analytic record contains no linkage back to the individual witness.
• The second object matched the first in size and shape but was significantly faster, a differential that rules out two identical balloons or passive debris moving in the same wind field.
• Selecting 'Other Shape' while leaving all conventional shape categories blank indicates the contact did not resemble any recognizable airborne platform at the time of observation.
• Three contacts maneuvering relative to one another on a sensor display implies active relative motion between objects, not parallel drift.
• The MGRS grid prefix '39RWL' visible through partial redaction is consistent with the Arabian Gulf / USCENTCOM area of operations.
• The report was filed in August 2020, operating quietly under SPEAR roughly a year before the first public Navy UAP disclosure reports drew wide attention.