A U.S. military operator conducting a surveillance mission out of Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates reported two unidentified aerial phenomena over the Persian Gulf on Halloween 2023. The sightings, logged at 0241Z and 0322Z, were recorded on a standard Mission Report form under the designation “IX UAP.” The document, identified as DOW-UAP-D23, remained classified for nearly two years before being declassified on September 12, 2025.
It was subsequently released to the public archive on May 8, 2026, as part of the PURSUE initiative. The operator was engaged in signals intelligence and imagery intelligence collection during a mission under OP SPARTAN SHIELD, overseen by the 609th Air Operations Center within U.S. Central Command. The 50th Attack Squadron, a component of the 432nd Wing, filed the report.
The aircraft type is listed as “SRO TRACK IRISH SICKLE,” a codename likely indicating a specific drone or surveillance platform. Full-motion video from the sortie was forwarded to DGS-2 for analysis.
The narrative section of the document is partially redacted, a standard practice. However, the available details indicate a trained military operator on a combat intelligence-gathering mission reported a UAP twice within a 41-minute span. The operator took off at 0015Z and returned to Al Dhafra at 2058Z, a lengthy sortie, with the sightings occurring mid-mission. The Department of War’s release notes that U.S. military services routinely use Mission Reports to report UAP to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.
This is a formal, structured document from an active-duty squadron operating under CENTCOM, not a fringe report. The 50th Attack Squadron operates MQ-9 Reapers, and the “SRO TRACK IRISH SICKLE” designation aligns with that platform.
An MQ-9 operator, located in a ground control station at Al Dhafra or potentially stateside, observed something on sensors that did not correspond to known aircraft or weather phenomena. The PURSUE archive is a Department of War effort to systematically declassify UAP-related records. This document is part of a broader push.
The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, established in 2022, serves as the central repository for such reports. The declassification and release of a 2023 mission report from a routine surveillance operation suggests a shift toward greater transparency or controlled disclosure, driven by pressure from Congress, advocacy groups, and the public.
The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act mandated a secure UAP reporting system, and the AARO has faced scrutiny to produce results. Releasing this document demonstrates the system is functioning, provides data for researchers, and normalizes UAP discussions. This report is likely to be referenced in upcoming congressional hearings.
Analysts are expected to cross-reference coordinates, time stamps, and sensor data with other regional reports. The Persian Gulf is one of the most heavily monitored airspaces globally, and if UAP operate there regularly, the military likely possesses additional reports.
The release also pressures the 432nd Wing and the 609th Air Operations Center to provide context, such as whether other sightings occurred on the same sortie or if the “IX UAP” designation is part of a pattern. Redactions suggest some details remain sensitive, possibly related to intelligence sources or methods. For now, the public has a single mission report from Halloween 2023: a trained operator, a drone, two sightings, and a declassified PDF.
It is not an answer but a starting point.
