ISR Platform Tracks Two Objects Over Persian Gulf

Brief

A U.S. Air Force ISR aircraft from the 50th Attack Squadron (432 AEW), operating out of Al Dhafra (OMAM), flew a 20-hour 43-minute mission on October 24, 2023, as part of OP SPARTAN SHIELD. During 17+ hours on station the crew observed two UAP contacts 41 minutes apart — at 0241Z and 0322Z — both assessed as benign, with no observed maneuvering and no indication of intelligent control. The first UAP registered a cold thermal signature; estimated velocities were 320 MPH and 440 MPH respectively, though shape, propulsion, and trajectory remained unknown for both. The mission additionally included a professional guard call from Iranian Air Defense warning the aircraft to maintain safe distance from the border.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Location

United Arab Emirates

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

9 pages

Classification

SECRET//NOFORN (original); FOUO on declassified release

Programs

OP SPARTAN SHIELD

Tags

IR thermal, cold thermal return, solid object, UAE / Persian Gulf, 2023, OP SPARTAN SHIELD, 320 MPH estimated, 440 MPH estimated, two contacts 41 min apart, no maneuvering observed

Key points

• Two UAP contacts were logged 41 minutes apart: the first at 0241Z (grid 39RYJ) and the second at 0322Z (grid 39RXK6), both while the friendly aircraft was at FL243 on a 280-degree heading at 162 KTAS.p.7
• UAP 1 registered a cold thermal signature ('THERMAL SHOWED COLD'), distinguishing it from conventional engine-emitting aircraft; UAP 2's thermal signature was listed as unknown.p.7
• Both UAP were assessed as benign, with 'UAP Maneuverability Observations: NONE' and 'UAP Under Intelligent Control: NO' recorded for each contact.p.7
• Estimated kinetic velocity was 320 MPH for UAP 1 and 440 MPH for UAP 2; all kinetic data were flagged as estimated rather than measured, with trajectory unknown for both.p.8
• At 0145Z — 56 minutes before the first UAP contact — Iranian Air Defense issued a guard call instructing the aircraft to 'MAINTAIN SAFE DISTANCE FROM BORDER'; the call was characterized as professional and then ceased.p.6
• The platform was on station for 17 hours 17 minutes conducting IMINT in support of NAVCENT as part of OP SPARTAN SHIELD, with full-motion video subsequently exploited by DGS-2.p.5
• Aircraft type, callsign, and tail number are fully redacted under exemptions 1.4a and 1.4g; the targeting pod is identified as ANDASL with additional avionics listed as AHVGMESH.p.4
• The original classification block set a declassification date of October 25, 2048 — 25 years out — but USCENTCOM released the document in May 2026.p.2

Verbatim

• MAINTAIN SAFE DISTANCE FROM BORDER

  p.6

• THIS IS A COALITION AIRCRAFT CONDUCTING ROUTINE OPERATIONS IN INTERNATIONAL AIRSPACE

  p.6

• THERMAL SHOWED COLD

  p.7

• UAP Under Intelligent Control (yes/no; if yes, describe): NO

  p.7

• Observer Assessment of UAP: Benign

  p.7

• Total Mission Time: 20 hours 43 minutes

  p.5

Most interesting

• The first UAP's thermal return was cold — meaning it radiated less heat than the ambient background, the inverse of what engine exhaust or any conventional propulsion system typically produces on IR.
• The second contact, 41 minutes later, had an estimated velocity 37.5 percent higher than the first (440 MPH vs. 320 MPH), yet both objects were logged with 'UAP Maneuverability Observations: NONE' — no observed course changes, acceleration, or evasion.
• Iranian Air Defense issued a guard call roughly 56 minutes before the first UAP contact; the report draws no connection between the two events, but the temporal proximity in contested airspace is notable.
• The video description (from the war.gov listing) notes that in the final 90 seconds of footage the sensor repeatedly loses and reacquires the object due to sensor platform motion — meaning the erratic on-screen movement reflects the aircraft, not the UAP itself.
• The companion IMINT report, DoW-UAP-D23, is referenced on page 1 but was not included in this release; it may contain additional analytical judgments about the sightings.
• All four UAP-specific description fields — size, shape, color, and recognizable features — were returned as 'UNK' for both contacts, leaving the object's physical form entirely uncharacterized despite the IR video.