DISCLOSURE / FILEAugust 31 CENTCOM Multi-Object Infrared Part One
DOW-UAP-PR088, "31 AUG [CALLSIGN] [CALLSIGN] Observes UAP"
A four-minute, fifty-eight-second infrared video uploaded to a classified network in August 2020, depicting multiple unidentified areas of contrast within the CENTCOM AOR, released by AARO in response to a March 2026 congressional records request.
Brief
Eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access on March 6, 2026 to 51 potentially UAP-related records held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community. AARO located this video on a classified network and assesses it is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within CENTCOM in 2020. The footage, uploaded by an unidentified user in August 2020, shows several discrete areas of contrast entering and exiting the frame while a sensor actively tracks one of them. AARO's published description carries an explicit disclaimer that no part of it constitutes an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination about the event.
Metadata
- Agency
- Department of War
- Release
- 5/22/26
- Incident
- 2020
- Location
- CENTCOM
- Type
- VIDEO • .mp4
- Length
- 4:59
- Programs
- AARO
- Tags
- infrared, CENTCOM, 2020, area of contrast, multiple objects, sensor tracking, classified network upload, congressional request
Key points
- Eight House members submitted a formal request on March 6, 2026 for access to 51 potentially UAP-related records held across the Department of War and the Intelligence Community.
- AARO found responsive materials on a classified network but notes many lack a substantiated chain-of-custody, raising provenance questions prior to any object-nature analysis.
- AARO assesses the video is 'likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform' operating in CENTCOM AOR in 2020 — a qualified assessment, not a confirmed identification.
- The video was uploaded by an unidentified user to a classified network in August 2020; the uploader-defined title includes two redacted callsigns.
- Total video duration is 4 minutes and 58 seconds; the first 1 minute and 21 seconds contain no content.
- Multiple distinct areas of contrast appear sequentially: one transits the full frame (01:22-01:55), a second enters from the left (02:48-03:08), and additional areas appear during the final segment (03:30-04:58).
- The sensor actively tracks the second-appearing area of contrast during the final 88 seconds, indicating operator-directed targeting of that object.
- AARO's disclaimer states the description should not be interpreted as reflecting any analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the event's validity, nature, or significance.
Most interesting
- Both pilot callsigns in the title are redacted, preventing identification of the observing crew or platform type.
- The chain-of-custody for this and many other records in the congressional request is described by AARO as lacking substantiation — a provenance flag that precedes any object-nature question.
- The sensor cycles its zoom level several times in the 01:56-02:47 window, indicating active operator engagement with the target before a second object enters frame.
- The congressional request covered 51 records total, placing this video inside a larger undisclosed collection of potentially UAP-related material held on classified networks.
- AARO's disclaimer language is appended verbatim to this video's description, consistent with its use across other Release 02 documents as a standard epistemic hedge.