Navy TFLIR Tracks Cold-Signature Round Object, Gulf of Aden

Brief

On October 15, 2020, a Squadron 1172 ATKS pilot at 19,073 feet over the Gulf of Aden tracked an unidentified round object via TFLIR for approximately 73 seconds (14:18:39Z to 14:19:52Z). The object appeared bright white against a black-hot IR setting, indicating a cold — not heat-emitting — signature. It traveled at approximately 319 degrees at 20 mph and made multiple abrupt directional changes during the contact. Identifying information for the crew and squadron was sanitized by the SPEAR program prior to analysis.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Incident

10/15/20

Location

Arabian Sea

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

1 pages

Classification

UNCLASSIFIED

Programs

SPEAR, JMPS

Tags

round, IR-cold, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, 2020, TFLIR, abrupt directional changes, SPEAR, O-2 witness

Key points

• Contact window was approximately 73 seconds, from 14:18:39Z to 14:19:52Z on October 15, 2020, over the Gulf of Aden at an aircraft altitude of 19,073 feet HAT.p.1
• The object was round and registered as 'cold' in infrared, appearing bright white on a black-hot IR setting — the inverse thermal signature of any known propulsion system.p.1
• The structured Direction/Speed field on the form records '261130' (format-matched to 261 degrees at 130 knots), while the narrative states 319 degrees at 20 mph — a stark discrepancy between the two data fields.p.1
• The TFLIR sensor was aimed approximately 50 degrees below the aircraft's altitude, placing the object well below the reporting aircraft at a slant range of 4.06 NM and ground range of 4.78 KM.p.1
• The object made abrupt directional changes during the roughly one-minute contact; no propulsion, moving parts, metallic finish, markings, or reflectivity were indicated on the checklist.p.1
• The SPEAR program sanitizes all reports of identifying information before analysis; three (b)(6) exemptions redact contact and submission details in the released document.p.1
• The form instructs reporters to save all display tapes as .wmv files and upload them to a squadron intel repository, confirming a systematic sensor-video collection pipeline for UAP events — though no video is included in this release.p.1
• The document was approved for release to MR9 on 03/27/26 under USCENTCOM MOR 26-0038 to MOR 26-0046, declassified by Mr. Richard Harrison.p.1

Verbatim

• While at 19,073 HAT o'1,er the Gulf of Aden we tracked a round, cold object in IR traveling 3,19 degrees at 20 mph.

  p.1

• It made a fewiabrupt directional changes during the 1 minute contact.

  p.1

• Our sensor was aimed -50 degrees below our altitude with a slant range of 4.06NM and ground range of 4.78KM.

  p.1

• Contact at 14:18:392 to 14:19:522 on 15OCT2020.

  p.1

• SPEAR san itizes all r .ports of identifying information. Absolutely no identifying information for aircrew or squadr::n will be recorded for analysis.

  p.1

Most interesting

• The object's IR-cold signature — bright white in black-hot mode — is the thermal inverse of a jet engine or rocket exhaust, which would appear dark in the same setting. This rules out conventional propulsion as an explanation for the heat signature alone.
• The form's structured Direction/Speed field ('261130') and the narrative description ('3,19 degrees at 20 mph') record markedly different headings and speeds, which may reflect a data entry error, a distinction between aircraft and contact vectors, or sensor ambiguity that was not resolved before submission.
• The encounter occurred over the Gulf of Aden, a strategically active maritime corridor adjacent to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, during what appears to have been a combat or large-force exercise sortie by a strike aviation unit.
• The SPEAR program's sanitization protocol means that even after declassification, no squadron or aircrew identifiers remain — corroboration from unit records or other crew members is structurally unavailable in the public release.
• The form's explicit .wmv upload instruction indicates the U.S. Navy had an established, named repository for UAP sensor recordings as early as 2020, suggesting institutional collection infrastructure predates the public AARO disclosure timeline.