Five U.S. Air Force mission reports (MISREPs) documenting unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) sightings during active military operations have been declassified by Major General Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, and approved for release to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The documents — designated DOW-UAP-D19, D20, D32, D63, and D64 — span incidents from October 2020 through October 2024, covering operations in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Syria, and Iraq. Together they represent a structured batch release from USCENTCOM, formatted as standard mission reports rather than purpose-built UAP investigation files, with operational details extensively redacted under national security exemptions.

What the documents say

All five documents are standard Air Force Mission Reports (MISREPs) originating from USCENTCOM's area of responsibility, filed by individual squadrons and released under USCENTCOM Mandatory Declassification Review numbers MDR 25-0094 through MDR 26-0028. Major General Harrison signed each declassification authority line. The release dates differ across the batch: three reports (D19, D20, D32) were declassified in October 2025 and approved for AARO release on 10/17/25 or 10/28/25; two reports (D63, D64) were declassified on 16 March 2026 and approved the same date.

DOW-UAP-D63 (Strait of Hormuz, October 2020): Filed by the 482d Attack Squadron (482 ATKS), this report covers a 21-hour, 4-minute reconnaissance mission launched from OKAS (a base in the USCENTCOM area) on October 1–2, 2020. The aircraft, type and callsign redacted, supported NAVCENT for a classified operation — name withheld under (b)(1)1.4a — in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman. The mission logged 17.3 IMINT hours. Per the document: "AT 1829Z, [redacted] OBSERVED IX UAP. SEE OBSERVATION LINE 1." The observation details in Observation Line 1 are not reproduced in the released text. The aircraft received five separate guardcalls during the mission. Weather: "HEAVY HAZE PRECLUDED IMINT ANALYSIS." FMV was exploited by DGS-1. The operation name and specific UAP observation details remain classified.

"AT 1829Z, [redacted] OBSERVED IX UAP. SEE OBSERVATION LINE 1."

DOW-UAP-D64 (Arabian Gulf / Iran area, November 2020): Also filed by 482 ATKS, this report covers a 20-hour, 42-minute reconnaissance mission from November 2–3, 2020, again out of OKAS. The aircraft supported NAVCENT for the same classified operation (name redacted) over the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman. Per the narrative: "AT 2143Z, [redacted] OBSERVED A UAP. SEE OBS LINE 1. AT 2148Z, [redacted] OBSERVED A SECOND UAP. SEE OBS LINE 2." Two distinct UAP observations were logged five minutes apart. The document states that "FMV WAS EXPLOITED BY DOSI" and records 18 hours 55 minutes on station. The report notes that "WSV (Weapon System Video) was produced for both UAP observations" — this claim is listed in the context as unverified documentary. Both observation lines remain redacted in the released pages. Weather: "HAZE PRECLUDED IMINT COLLECTION." The NAVCENT operation name is withheld.

DOW-UAP-D19 (Syria, February 21, 2023): Originated by the 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (389 EFS), this report documents a two-ship F-15E flight from Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (OJMS) in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The mission tasked the flight for defensive counter-air (DCA) in the ESSA killbox. The narrative records: "OBS 3X POSS UAP IVO SHADDADI [redacted] AT FL240. WSV PRODUCED. NFTR." Approximately 70 minutes later: "OBS IX POSS BALLOON IVO SHADDADI [redacted] AT FL210. WSV PRODUCED. NFTR." The document thus records three possible UAPs at flight level 240 and one possible balloon at flight level 210, in the vicinity of Shaddadi, Syria. Both observation entries note "WSV PRODUCED" (weapon system video produced) and "NFTR" (nothing further to report). The aircraft also received MFT radar jamming in the vicinity of Shaddadi at FL270 shortly before the UAP observations. Total mission time: 4 hours 55 minutes. Aircraft callsign and tail numbers are redacted. This document was declassified on 8 October 2025.

DOW-UAP-D20 (Iraq, March 31, 2023): Originated by the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (77 EFS), this report covers a two-ship F-16CM flight from Prince Sultan Air Base (OEPS), also under Operation Inherent Resolve, conducting DCA in the ESSA killbox. Per the narrative: "FLT OBSERVED MULTIPLE POSS UAPS. (SEE UAP)." The UAP section of the report provides the most structured observation data in this batch. It records: Initial contact DTG 312302:05ZMAR23; friendly aircraft location 37SGA [redacted]; friendly aircraft altitude FL265; friendly aircraft speed 293 [knots]; "Number of UAP Sighted: POSS 10X-20X"; "UAP Signatures: No"; "UAP Effects on Persons: NONE." The UAP physical state and RF frequency/duration fields appear blank or redacted. The observation was made northeast of a location abbreviated as "RLZ." Total mission time: 6 hours 47 minutes. Aircraft tail numbers and callsigns are redacted. The operational range is listed as "NE OF RLZ."

DOW-UAP-D32 (Syria, October 2024): Originated by 12th Special Operations Squadron (12 SOS), this is the most recently dated report in the batch. Classified SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY at time of filing, it documents a single-aircraft ISR mission from Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on October 20–21, 2024, under Operation Inherent Resolve. Mission time: 20 hours 24 minutes. At 1559Z, per the report: "[redacted] OBSERVED AN UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENON (SEE UAP 1)." The UAP observation entry (UAP 1) is referenced but its contents are redacted in the released pages. The aircraft conducted FMV/SIGINT collection at multiple task points. FMV was exploited by GET. This report was declassified on 24 October 2025 and approved for release on 10/28/25.

Across all five reports, the specific observation line details — physical description, bearing, altitude of the observed phenomenon, maneuver characteristics, and sensor data — are withheld in the released text, either redacted inline or referenced in separate observation line fields that are not reproduced.

Why it matters

This batch release is notable for several reasons. First, it demonstrates that UAP sightings are being formally logged within standard Air Force mission reporting infrastructure — not in separate, purpose-built reports, but in the same MISREP format used to record refueling events, radar jamming encounters, and guardcalls. UAP observations sit in the timeline alongside mundane mission events, which contextualizes the scale and integration of the reporting requirement.

Second, the geographic and temporal spread is meaningful. The five incidents span four years (2020–2024), two distinct operational theaters (Arabian Gulf/Iran region and Syria/Iraq), and at least four different squadrons or units (482 ATKS, 389 EFS, 77 EFS, 12 SOS), suggesting that UAP logging within USCENTCOM's area of responsibility is not isolated to a single unit or platform type.

Third, the D20 Iraq report's structured UAP data field — recording a possible 10 to 20 objects with no detected signatures and no effects on persons — is the most substantive observation record made available in this batch. The absence of detected signatures across what may have been 10 to 20 objects is notable, though the document offers no analysis or characterization.

Fourth, where weapon system video (WSV) is noted as produced (D19 and D64), those recordings are not included in the release. Their existence is documented; their content is not.

It should be stated plainly: these are mission reports, not investigation reports. They document that observations occurred and point to observation line details held elsewhere. They do not contain AARO analysis, commander's assessment, or any characterization of the phenomena. All claims about what was observed remain, per document language, unverified pending release of the underlying observation data.

How it connects

Major General Richard A. Harrison serves as the single declassification authority across all five documents — a consistent administrative thread. His role as USCENTCOM Chief of Staff places these releases at the combatant command level, not at the unit level. The involvement of NAVCENT in both October and November 2020 missions (D63 and D64) indicates those ISR flights were conducted in direct support of naval operations, though the specific operation names remain classified. The entity connection map confirms that 482 ATKS is linked to both the Strait of Hormuz mission (D63) and the November 2020 Iran-area mission (D64), as well as to the broader "IX UAP observation" and "November 2020 Iran UAP Mission" events tracked in prior reporting.

The involvement of DGS-1 (Distributed Ground Station-1) in the exploitation of FMV from D63 connects that mission's sensor data to Air Force intelligence processing infrastructure. AARO is named as the release recipient on all five documents, consistent with the agency's congressionally mandated role as the central repository for UAP-related reporting from the Department of Defense.

The 12 SOS, originator of D32, is connected in the entity map to both Operation Inherent Resolve and the UAP observation at 1559Z — the October 2024 Syria sighting. The 77 EFS (D20) and 389 EFS (D19) both operated under Operation Inherent Resolve and filed through the 609th Combined Air Operations Center, the same operations hub across multiple reports.

No public disputes are recorded regarding any of the claims or entities in these documents.

Open questions

The most significant gap across all five documents is the content of the referenced observation lines. Each report points to "OBS LINE 1," "OBS LINE 2," or "UAP 1" entries that contain the actual descriptive data — bearing, physical characteristics, sensor readings, crew description — and none of those entries are reproduced in the released pages. Whether those lines were withheld from this release or exist in separate documents is not clear from the released material.

The WSV recordings noted in D19 and D64 as "produced" have not been released. A targeted FOIA or MDR request for the weapon system video associated with Misrep 5039166 (D64) and the D19 Syria mission would be the most direct path to observational data.

The NAVCENT operation name, withheld in D63 and D64 under (b)(1)1.4a, would establish the broader operational context for those Arabian Gulf missions. Similarly, the aircraft callsigns and tail numbers redacted throughout the batch would allow researchers to determine platform type for the ISR assets involved in the 2020 missions — particularly relevant given that D63 and D64 share the same target pod designation (ANDAS4) and avionics suite (AH/GMESH), suggesting the same or similar platform type was used.

Why these five specific reports were selected for declassification and release to AARO — and what the selection criteria are for inclusion in the DOW-UAP series — is not addressed in any of the released documents. The DOW-UAP numbering series (D19, D20, D32, D63, D64) suggests a larger document set exists. The gaps in numbering between D20 and D32, and between D32 and D63, are unaccounted for in this release.

No follow-up investigation records, AARO intake assessments, or analytical products associated with any of these five incidents have been released or identified. The question of whether AARO has conducted any characterization of the D20 Iraq sighting — involving a reported 10 to 20 objects with no detected signatures — remains entirely open. Officials with knowledge of AARO's intake process for USCENTCOM-sourced reports, and members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees with oversight of AARO's analytical work, would be appropriate subjects for further inquiry on this point.