This footage was submitted to AARO by United States Indo-Pacific Command as an unresolved UAP report from the Yellow Sea in 2023. It comes from an electro-optical and infrared sensor system aboard a U.S. military platform. The released video file is redacted, and the source gives no further identification for the phenomenon.
What the sensor shows, as described in the release:
The overall quality of this video footage progressively degrades over its runtime.
00:01-00:08: In infrared mode, the sensor tracks an area of contrast, keeping it generally within the center of the frame.
00:09-01:03: The sensor zooms in and tracks the area of contrast, holding it generally within the center of the frame.
01:04-01:10: The sensor display switches modes to an electro-optical day time television camera feed (a collection mode that displays visible and near infrared signatures). The video features a dark object superimposed against a blue background.
01:11-01:13: The sensor display changes modes to infrared. The area of contrast is no longer visible within the frame.
01:14-02:16: The sensor zooms in and changes contrast settings. An area of contrast is visible near the center of the frame.
02:17-02:22: The area of contrast repeatedly leaves and enters the sensor field-of-view.
02:23-02:46: The sensor reacquires and tracks the area of contrast, keeping it generally within the center of the frame.
02:47-03:27: The sensor zooms in, tracking the area of contrast.
03:28-03:32: The footage appears to “skip,” or lose coherence.
03:33-03:46: The footage returns to its previous state, and the sensor continues to track the area of contrast generally within the center of the frame.
03:47-04:32: The sensor zooms out.
04:33-04:40: The area of contrast repeatedly leaves and enters the sensor field-of-view.
04:41-04:45: No content.
Declassified by the Department of War under the PURSUE UAP records release (tranche of 7/10/26).
Agency: Department of War
Incident: 2023, Yellow Sea
Document ID: DOW-UAP-PR100
This release is redacted.
Running time: 4 minutes 46 seconds.