Fire Control Lock On Balloon-Like Object, Arabian Gulf 2020

Brief

This MISREP, submitted through AARO, documents a single UAP event over the Arabian Gulf in 2020. The crew characterized the object as balloon-like and compared it explicitly to a previously reported UAP from the 48th Fighter Wing. The fire control system achieved a weapons-quality 1 track at 31,000 ft MSL while the object drifted with ambient winds, and the crew reached a firing-solution position before visually identifying the UAP via the aircraft's targeting infrared sensor. Five of six pages remain image-only or withheld under FOIA exemption 1.4(a).

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

6 pages

Classification

SECRET

Tags

balloon-like, TFLIR, Arabian Gulf, 2020, 31000ft MSL, weapons-quality track, 48FW cross-reference

Key points

• The UAP was described as balloon-like and explicitly linked to a prior UAP report attributed to the 48th Fighter Wing, implying cross-unit pattern awareness by 2020.p.6
• The fire control system achieved a weapons-quality 1 track — the highest-fidelity targeting lock — on the object.p.6
• The UAP was traveling with ambient winds at 31,000 ft MSL, consistent with a passive, unpowered object.p.6
• The aircrew reached a 'NEXT TO SHOOT' position, meaning a valid firing solution existed, before standing down and identifying the object visually.p.6
• Visual identification was made via TFLIR (Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared), the aircraft's onboard infrared targeting sensor.p.6
• FOIA exemption 1.4(a) redactions appear at least four times on page 6, concealing platform identity, unit designation, and additional event context.p.6

Verbatim

• LOOKS LIKE A BALLOON, SIMILAR TO PREVIOUSLY REPORTED UAP FROM 48FW.

  p.6

• (SECRET) OBSERVED A WEAPONS QUALITY 1 TRACK OF A UAP TRAVELING WITH THE WINDS AT 31,000 FT MSL IVO 323'S.

  p.6

• WAS ABLE TO MAKE A NEXT TO SHOOT ON THE TRACK AND VISUALLY ID THE UAP IN THE TFLIR.

  p.6

Most interesting

• A 'weapons quality 1 track' is the highest tier of fire control lock — the aircraft's targeting system was fully ready to engage the object.
• The reference to a 'PREVIOUSLY REPORTED UAP FROM 48FW' indicates at least one prior balloon-type UAP report from the 48th Fighter Wing was already in circulation, suggesting cross-theater collation of similar sightings.
• 48FW is the 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath, England — its appearance in an Arabian Gulf context suggests UAP reporting was being cross-referenced across theaters by 2020.
• The object drifting passively with winds at 31,000 ft matches the behavior of a high-altitude balloon, though the report makes no formal determination.
• Only 1 of 6 pages contains extractable text; the remaining five are image-only or fully redacted, sharply limiting what the public release reveals.