View original document (7.1 MB) PDF viewer unavailable in this browser. Download the PDF to view. A newly declassified U.S. Department of War mission report indicates that a U.S. military aircraft crew observed a “possible small UAP” while operating over the Eastern Mediterranean in May 2022, according to records released under the Pentagon’s PURSUE archive.
According to Department of War records released under PURSUE, the document, titled “DOW-UAP-D14, Mission Report, Iraq, May 2022,” is a standardized Mission Report (MISREP) used by the U.S. military to record operational circumstances. The Department of War notes that military services often use MISREPs to report Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
The document was declassified on October 8, 2025, by Major General Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff. The Department of War document lists the incident date as May 29, 2022, and the location as Syria.
The report’s narrative section states that at 0117Z (military time), “ONE POSSIBLE SMALL UAP WAS OBSERVED.” The official description provided by the Department of War clarifies that a U.S. military operator reported observing one UAP flying north to northeast. The observer reported following the UAP for as long as possible but was unable to positively identify it.
The Department of War emphasizes that all descriptive and estimative language in the report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event and should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics. The mission report details a broader intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operation. The narrative timeline indicates the aircraft, using callsign “1.4a,” took off from Sigonella Airbase (LIC2) in Italy.
The mission involved collecting signals intelligence (SIGINT) via “AIRHANDLER” and conducting imagery intelligence (IMINT) in support of operations in the Eastern Mediterranean. The report notes that at 2147Z, the aircraft was “REACTED TO BY 1-3 ACFT, INCLUDING lX POSS RFAF SU-30,” referring to a possible Russian Air Force Su-30 aircraft. The document also records the observation of “ONE PROBABLE SU-27/35 LANDING IYO AL ASSAD AFLD,” indicating a probable Russian Su-27 or Su-35 landing at Al Assad Airfield in Iraq.
The mission report identifies the operator’s unit as the 50th Attack Squadron (50 ATKS), part of the 432nd Air Expeditionary Wing (432 AEW), operating under the 603rd Air Operations Center (603 AOC). The report’s classification is listed as SECRET with caveats for release to the USA and FVEY (Five Eyes intelligence alliance).
The declassification date is listed as 20470529, indicating the document is scheduled for automatic declassification in 2047.
Context and Broader Implications
The Department of War’s PURSUE archive is a central repository for declassified UAP-related records. The document was released to AARO, which, per a Wikipedia entry on the office, is “an office within the United States Office of the Secretary of Defense that investigates unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and other phenomena in the air, sea, and/or space and/or on land.” Wikipedia’s entry notes that AARO’s first director was physicist Sean Kirkpatrick and its current director is Jon T. Kosloski.
The Department of War’s official description of the document notes that the GENTEXT, or “general text” section, contains important qualitative and contextual information. In this case, the narrative is dense with operational details, but the specific entry regarding the UAP is brief, stating only that a “possible small UAP” was observed at a specific time.
The report does not provide further details on the object’s size, shape, speed, or behavior. The document also includes a section titled “ACEQUIP” which lists the aircraft’s equipment, including a “TGT Pod Name or Designator: ANDAS4” and “Additional Avionics: AHSAR,” suggesting the aircraft was equipped with advanced targeting and synthetic aperture radar systems. However, the report does not indicate whether these systems were used to track or identify the UAP.
The observation of a “possible small UAP” occurred during a mission that also involved interactions with Russian aircraft, highlighting the complex operational environment in the region. The report does not link the UAP sighting to any specific threat or Russian activity.
What remains unanswered from this document is the nature of the “possible small UAP.” The report offers no conclusion on whether the object was a drone, a sensor anomaly, or something else. The Department of War’s own description notes that the observer was “unable to positively identify it.” Readers should watch for future PURSUE releases that may provide additional context, such as sensor data, intelligence assessments, or reports from other aircraft in the area, which could clarify the object’s identity.
