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During a nighttime live-fire training exercise over the Gulf of Oman, the aircrew of a U.S. Special Operations Forces AC-130 Gunship reported observing unidentified anomalous phenomena after dropping a water-activated flare. The Department of War Intelligence Information Report says the crew described two initial UAP, then about 25 similar infrared observations during the sortie, using the term "cold orbs" and estimating them at about four feet in diameter and 0 to 20 feet above the water.

United States Central Command submitted the UAP report to AARO, and the Intelligence Information Report and contemporaneous sensor-display recordings are attached. The recordings are secondary cell-phone captures of an infrared sensor display aboard the aircraft, not native primary sensor data, and the source notes limits in fidelity, resolution, and visual quality. The report also cautions that its descriptive and estimative language reflects the reporter's subjective interpretation at the time, and the case remains unresolved.

What the sensor shows in clip 2, as described in the release:

00:00-00:16: An area of contrast remains generally within the center of the sensor field-of-view.

What the sensor shows in clip 3, as described in the release:

00:00-00:30: An area of contrast remains generally within the center of the sensor field-of-view, momentarily exiting the bottom of the frame.

What the sensor shows in clip 4, as described in the release:

00:00-00:02: An area of contrast remains generally within the center of the sensor field-of-view.

What the sensor shows in clip 5, as described in the release:

00:00-00:08: An area of contrast remains generally within the center of the sensor field-of-view. Visual elements of the sensor display enter and exit the frame throughout the duration of the video.

00:08-00:13: The sensor changes modalities twice and the area of contrast loses distinctiveness against the background.

What the sensor shows in clip 6, as described in the release:

00:00-00:12: An area of contrast remains generally within the center of the sensor field-of-view. Visual elements of the sensor display enter and exit the frame throughout the duration of the video.

00:13-00:18: A relatively larger area of contrast transits from the bottom of the frame to the top of the sensor’s field-of-view, then re-enters from the top left to the bottom left of the frame. The relatively smaller area of contrast exits the bottom of the frame, and re-enters from the upper-right quarter of the frame.

00:19-00:34: The sensor adjusts, and an area of contrast enters the sensor field-of-view from the top of the frame, and remains generally within the center of the frame.

AARO Comment: This video footage significantly overlaps in content with DOW-UAP-PR122.

What the sensor shows in clip 7, as described in the release:

00:00-00:05: An area of contrast remains generally within the center of the sensor field-of-view. Visual elements of the sensor display enter and exit the frame throughout the duration of the video.

00:06-00:07: A relatively larger area of contrast transits from the bottom of the frame to the top of the sensor’s field-of-view, then re-enters from the top left to the bottom left of the frame. The relatively smaller area of contrast exits the bottom of the frame, and re-enters from the upper-right quarter of the frame.

00:08-00:26: The sensor adjusts, and an area of contrast enters the sensor field-of-view from the top of the frame, and remains generally within the center of the frame.

AARO Comment: This video footage significantly overlaps in content with DOW-UAP-PR121.

Declassified by the Department of War under the PURSUE UAP records release (tranche of 8/7/26).
Agency: Department of War
Incident: 9/8/21
Document ID: DOW-UAP-D101-set