DISCLOSURE / FILEFour-Object CENTCOM Infrared Formation August 2022
DOW-UAP-PR050, "4 UAP Formation Iran 26 Aug 2022 over water [CALLSIGN]"
A 20-second infrared video, uploaded to a classified network in June 2024, shows four areas of contrast transiting the sensor field-of-view in what AARO assesses is likely CENTCOM airspace on 26 August 2022.
Brief
AARO released this video in response to an 8 March 2026 congressional request covering 51 potentially UAP-related records. The agency assesses the footage is likely captured by an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating in the United States Central Command area of responsibility in 2022, though it notes that many materials in this collection lack a substantiated chain-of-custody. The video shows four areas of contrast entering from the lower-left and exiting toward the bottom-center of the frame between 00:01 and 00:04, followed by a single area of contrast entering from the upper-left at 00:05-00:06. AARO explicitly states the video description carries no analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination.
Metadata
- Agency
- Department of War
- Release
- 5/22/26
- Incident
- 2022
- Location
- CENTCOM
- Type
- VIDEO • .mp4
- Length
- 0:10
- Classification
- UNCLASSIFIED
- Programs
- AARO
- Tags
- 4-object formation, single trailing object, infrared sensor, CENTCOM AOR, over water, 2022, Iran (uploader-labeled), classified-network upload
Key points
- On March 6, 2026, eight U.S. House members requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community.
- AARO located responsive materials on a classified network; many items in the collection lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.
- AARO's assessment is that the video is 'likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform' operating in the CENTCOM AOR in 2022.
- The video was uploaded to a classified network by an unidentified user in June 2024 — roughly 22 months after the purported incident date of 26 August 2022.
- The uploader-defined title explicitly references 'Iran,' 'over water,' and a redacted callsign, though AARO makes no determination regarding the event's geographic specifics.
- The 20-second clip contains two discrete movement sequences: a four-object formation (00:01-00:04) and a single object (00:05-00:06), each transiting the sensor frame.
- AARO's video description is framed as informational only and explicitly disclaims any analytical or investigative weight.
Most interesting
- The video's uploader-defined title names a specific country — Iran — and a specific date, yet AARO declines to confirm or deny either detail in its assessment.
- A 22-month gap exists between the purported incident date (26 August 2022) and the upload to the classified network (June 2024), which AARO does not explain.
- AARO flags a chain-of-custody problem across the broader 51-record collection, raising provenance questions for this video and its siblings.
- The four objects enter from the lower-left and exit toward the bottom-center in roughly three seconds — a lateral-to-downward trajectory that is unusual for known aircraft at typical sensor ranges.
- A fifth area of contrast appears separately at 00:05-00:06, entering from the upper-left, suggesting either a staggered formation or a distinct object on a different vector.
- The uploader-defined callsign in the title is redacted in the public release, indicating the identifying platform information remains classified.