"03 January 2021 [CALLSIGN] (Mission) observes UAP"
A nearly five-minute infrared recording from a U.S. military platform in the CENTCOM area of responsibility captures roughly 56 seconds of actual content: an unidentified area of contrast that the sensor actively tracks before losing it during a zoom. AARO confirms the video's likely military origin but flags that many records in this collection lack a clear chain-of-custody, which complicates any firm conclusions about provenance or context. It's a brief, ambiguous clip — but the fact that a sensor operator was tracking something deliberately makes it worth noting.
On March 6, 2026, eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives requested access to 51 potentially UAP-related records allegedly held by the Department of War and the Intelligence Community. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) identified a collection of responsive materials held on a classified network. Many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody.
AARO assesses that this video, whose uploader-defined title is “03 January 2021 [CALLSIGN] (Mission) observes UAP,” is likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform operating within the United States Central Command area of responsibility in January 2021. A user uploaded this video to a classified network in January 2021.
Video Duration: 00:04:57 Video Description: 00:00-01:51: No content. 01:52-02:48: An area of contrast becomes visible near the center of the top half of the frame. The sensor pans to track the area of contrast, keeping it generally within the center of the field-of-view. 02:49-02:55: The sensor zooms in. The area of contrast exits the frame in the bottom left of the display. 02:55-04:57: No content.
This video description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event’s validity, nature, or significance.