FMV Camera Tracks White Light Over Syria

Brief

An uncrewed or crewed ISR platform assigned to Operation Inherent Resolve was orbiting at 20,088 feet and 144 knots over grid 37SFU when its FMV camera recorded a 'MISHAPEN AND UNEVEN BALL OF WHITE LIGHT' between 1559Z and 1644Z on October 20, 2024. The crew logged five distinct light or glare events across that 45-minute window, including a halo effect at the top of the FMV feed at 1609Z and 1620Z. The official UAP form lists physical state as 'Plasma,' propulsion as unknown, and intelligent control as 'NO'; the aircrew ruled out a lasing event and assessed the UAP as benign with no mission impact. The document was classified SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY at origination and declassified on October 24, 2025 by MG Richard A. Harrison.

Metadata

Agency

Department of War

Release

5/8/26

Location

Syria

Type

PDF • .pdf

Length

10 pages

Classification

SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY

Programs

Operation Inherent Resolve, AARO

Tags

white light ball, light/glare halo, plasma classification, FMV camera, SIGINT, Syria, 2024, Operation Inherent Resolve, ISR orbit, unknown propulsion

Key points

• UAP first observed at 1559Z on October 20, 2024 during a dynamic ISR tasking over grid 37SFU36; observation window ran through 1644Z — a 45-minute span with five discrete light events.p.9
• Official UAP physical-state field records the phenomenon as 'Plasma,' with propulsion listed as 'UNKNOWN' and signatures as 'LIGHT.'p.8
• Aircrew explicitly assessed the event was not a lasing attack: 'AIRCREW ASSESSED THIS NOT TO BE A LASING EVENT.'p.8
• The UAP was described in the narrative as 'MISHAPEN AND UNEVEN BALL OF WHITE LIGHT' — the same language later quoted in the companion report DoW-UAP-D32.p.9
• A 'LIGHT/GLARE HALO EFFECT AT THE TOP OF [the] FMV FEED' was observed at both 1609Z and 1620Z, distinct from the direct FMV crossing events at 1559Z, 1602Z, and 1644Z.p.9
• Platform was orbiting at 20,088 ft and 144 knots; no interrogation of the UAP was attempted and no engagement occurred.p.7
• UAP form fields for advanced capabilities, intelligent control, effects on persons, and effects on equipment are all recorded as 'NO' or negative.p.8
• Observer rank was E-4; the report passed through 609 CAOC quality-control and was approved for release to AARO on October 28, 2025.p.2
• Mission totaled 20 hours 24 minutes with 14 hours 22 minutes of FMV collection across three ISR taskings; the UAP event fell within the second tasking.p.1
• Platform sensors on this mission included FMV (AN/DAS-4 targeting pod), SIGINT, and the SANTA FE system; LINK 16 data link was active.p.4

Verbatim

• MISHAPEN AND UNEVEN BALL OF WHITE LIGHT.

  p.9

• LIGHT/GLARE FROM UNKNOWN ORIGIN FLASHED ACCROSS FMV CAMERA FEED. AIRCREW ASSESSED THIS NOT TO BE A LASING EVENT.

  p.8

• LIGHT/GLARE FLASHED OF UNK ORIGIN FLASHED ACCROSS FMV CAMERA FEED

  p.7

• AT 1559Z, 1602Z AND AT 1644Z, OBSERVED 1X LIGHT/GLARE CROSSED DIRECTLY ON THE FMV CAMERA.

  p.9

• AT 1609Z AND 1620Z, (b)(1)1.4a OBSERVED A LIGHT/GLARE HALO EFFECT AT THE TOP OF (b)(1)1.4a FMV FEED.

  p.9

• AIRCREW CONSIDERED THIS NO MISSION IMPACT OR CHANGE AND UAP WAS BENIGN.

  p.9

• FROM 1559Z-1644Z, OBSERVED UAP ACTIVITY (SEE UAP 1).

  p.6

Most interesting

• The mission report spells 'AERIAL' as 'ARRIEAL' in the page 1 narrative ('UNIDENTIFIED ARRIEAL PHENOMENON') — a verbatim transcription artifact preserved in the declassified release.
• The official UAP physical-state field designates the phenomenon as 'Plasma,' a classification choice that carries implicit analytical weight even though the propulsion and trajectory fields are all marked unknown or estimated.
• Five distinct light/glare events were logged across 45 minutes (1559Z-1644Z), suggesting either a recurring source or multiple objects — yet the aircrew entered a single UAP serial number and treated it as one incident.
• The UAP coordinate fields list 37SFU36 for both first-seen and last-seen location with radius growing from 5 to 15 — indicating positional uncertainty expanded but no lateral movement was confirmed.
• All kinetic data fields (altitude, depth, velocity, trajectory) are listed as 'Estimated' with dashes, meaning no hard tracking data was ever recorded for the phenomenon.
• The platform was tasked under Operation Inherent Resolve — an anti-ISIS campaign — and was conducting pattern-of-life surveillance on armed motorcycle riders at the time of the UAP observation.
• The AN/DAS-4 Multi-Aperture Sight is a highly capable electro-optical/infrared sensor system; its inability to resolve the phenomenon beyond 'light/glare' is itself a data point.
• The companion report referenced (DoW-UAP-D32) is not included in these pages, meaning additional descriptive or analytical content may exist in a separate release.