PURSUE Releases 01, 02 & 03
The first coordinated multi-agency UAP disclosure in U.S. history. 294 files spanning 82 years — from WWII foo fighters to 2026 FBI orb sightings. Includes the Lake Huron F-16 shootdown video, submarine transmedium footage, Cold War green orb investigations, and the Release 03 CIA and FBI tranche. Independently analyzed.
Executive Summary
The Department of War has released 294 declassified UAP files through the PURSUE system (Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters) in three historic drops. Release 01 (May 8) contained 158 files. Release 02 (May 22) added 64 more. Release 03 (June 12) added 72 more, making this the largest coordinated UAP disclosure in history.
Release 02 highlights include the Lake Huron F-16 shootdown video — the first-ever released footage of a U.S. military engaging a UAP — submarine transmedium footage showing spherical objects entering and exiting water, 116 pages of Cold War green orb investigations from Sandia, NM (209 sightings, 1948–1950), Apollo 12 crew audio describing "streaks of lights," and an intelligence officer's report of orbs "chasing" fighter jets and forming a triangle.
The archive now includes 75+ military sensor videos, spanning CENTCOM, INDOPACOM, AFRICOM, and domestic operations. The Pentagon's UAP archive has drawn over 1 billion hits since its May 8 launch.
Release 03: 72 New Files
The third PURSUE drop adds the CIA to the archive for the first time — a large tranche of historical Cold War UFO records — alongside new FBI orb sighting videos and a multi-agency Colorado Springs incident file.
CIA Joins PURSUE (18 Files)
Release 03 marks the CIA's first contribution to the archive — 18 historical records, including the 1952–1953 Scientific Advisory Panel (Robertson Panel) correspondence and Cold War reporting on UFO sightings overseas.
FBI "Northeastern Orb" Videos
New FBI video reports: "Orbs Over the Pond" (Oct 2024) describes a "plasma-like sphere" hovering above a pond, and a July 2025 "Northeastern Orb Sighting" of an intense bright light hovering ~25 feet off the ground at a residence.
Colorado Springs Incident (2022)
A multi-agency file set on a 2022 incident near Colorado Springs: an FBI FD-302 interview and FD-1057 narrative, a digital rendering, and an Intelligence Community partner analysis prepared for AARO — a rare cross-agency UAP case package.
1949 Army "Flying Saucer" Study
DOW-UAP-D084: a 1949 U.S. Army Evaluation Study of the "Flying Saucer" phenomenon, prepared for the Plans & Operations Division of the General Staff to determine whether sightings traced to natural phenomena or foreign-power activity.
Harare Airport Sighting (2008)
CIA-UAP-017: a never-before-released July 2008 report on a UFO sighting at Harare International Airport, Zimbabwe, where observers debated whether the object was a foreign reconnaissance device or of extraterrestrial origin.
72 Files — By the Numbers
Release 03 adds 72 records: 29 FBI, 18 CIA, 12 Department of War, 11 NASA, plus Intelligence Community and U.S. Government documents. Breakdown by type: 53 PDFs, 10 images, 6 videos, and 3 audio files.
Release 02: 64 New Files
The second PURSUE drop includes the most significant footage yet released — a military shootdown, transmedium objects, Cold War investigations, and Apollo crew audio.
Lake Huron F-16 Shootdown Video
First-ever released footage of a U.S. military engaging a UAP. F-16 infrared video from Feb 12, 2023 shows AIM-9X Sidewinder missile engagement. Object appears balloon-like on IR, bursts apart on impact. AARO assesses video "likely derived from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform."
Submarine Transmedium Video
2022 video showing spherical objects repeatedly entering and exiting the water near a submarine. AARO has flagged this for further analysis. Transmedium behavior — seamless air-to-water transition — is one of the "Five Observables" that defies conventional physics.
New Mexico Green Orbs (116 Pages)
209 reports of "green orbs," "discs," and "fireballs" near Sandia, NM from 1948–1950. Copper powder residue found at multiple sites. These cases fed into Project Grudge, the 1949 USAF program. The most extensive Cold War UAP file ever released.
Intelligence Officer: "Two Large Orbs"
Late 2025 report: orange oval orbs with white/yellow center spotted near helicopter, then seen "chasing" fighter jets. Objects formed a distinct triangle pattern before disappearing. Multiple minutes of observation by trained military personnel.
Apollo 12 Crew Audio
Pete Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean describe "streaks of lights" seen while sleeping during the 1969 mission. Medical debrief tape recorded Dec 1969. NASA concluded internal visual effects — but the tape was classified until now.
50+ New Videos
Iran 2022: 4 unidentified objects over water. Coast Guard 2024: object near aircraft over SE United States. Persian Gulf encounters 2018–2023. Total archive now contains 75+ military sensor videos across CENTCOM, INDOPACOM, AFRICOM, and domestic operations.
75+ Military Videos. Apollo Audio. Shootdown Footage. Now Public.
Release 02 more than doubled the video archive — adding the Lake Huron F-16 shootdown, submarine transmedium footage, Iran encounters, and Coast Guard video. Release 03 adds new FBI "Northeastern Orb" footage. Combined with Release 01's IR tracking, targeting pod video, and Apollo recordings.
Who Released What
Five agencies have contributed to PURSUE across three releases. The Department of War leads, but the FBI's expansion and the CIA's Release 03 debut are the biggest stories.
171 redacted (58%) • 123 unredacted (42%) — Redactions protect witnesses and facilities, not UAP data itself.
Key Findings
Files ranked by intelligence significance — from genuinely unprecedented disclosures to notable pattern confirmations.
FBI USPER Statement — Senior Intelligence Official UAP Encounter
- FBI 302 interview with a senior US intelligence official about a first-hand UAP encounter at a US military facility
- Describes a "super-hot" orb hovering over the ground after helicopter search of area where orbs had been previously seen
- Orb traveled 20 miles at speed too fast for helicopter pursuit
- An additional orb was reportedly tracked on a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor
FBI September 2023 Sighting — Bronze Metallic Object at US Test Site
- 5 files documenting a single event: FBI Lab composite sketch + 4 FBI 302 witness interviews
- "Ellipsoid bronze metallic object materializing out of a bright light in the sky"
- Estimated 130–195 feet in length
- Object "disappeared instantaneously"
- Multiple corroborating witnesses described object as "metallic bronze" and "metallic/gray"
Western US Event — 7 Federal Employees, 4 Types of Phenomena
- Summary of 7 US government employees who separately reported UAP over two days in 2023
- Four distinct categories: "orbs launching other orbs" at a distance, large stationary glowing orb at close range, pursuing a large phenomenon near the ground, and additional observations
- All witnesses were federal government employees
Apollo Lunar Photos — DOW Opens Active Investigation
- 5 Apollo 12 photos (1969) with highlighted areas showing "unidentified phenomena" above the lunar horizon
- 1 Apollo 17 photo (1972) showing three "dots" in triangular formation in the lunar sky
- DOW has opened an active case to investigate the Apollo 17 photograph
- "New preliminary US government analysis" mentioned in connection with Apollo 17 image
Gemini 7 Transcript & Audio (Dec 1965)
- Astronaut Frank Borman reports a "bogey" to Houston during the Gemini 7 mission
- Jim Lovell describes "a brilliant body in the sun against a black background with trillions of particles on it"
- Borman estimated "hundreds of little particles" at ~4 miles distance
- Handwritten annotation: "UFO Sighting by Borman" in top right corner
- The only audio/video file in Release 01 — captures the live air-to-ground exchange
1963 Executive Office — "Space Alien Race Question"
- Memorandum from the Executive Office of the President, National Aeronautics and Space Council
- Discusses contingency plans if alien intelligence is discovered
- Covers expanding scientific knowledge, possibility of life on Mars, diplomatic policy implications
WWII Foo Fighters — 415th Night Fighter Squadron
- SHAEF messages documenting "night phenomena (foofighters)," flak rockets, unidentified cylindrical objects
- Multiple observations by the 415th Night Fighter Squadron
- Reports of blinking lights over Germany
1944 Germany — Krasuski Witness Account
- FBI report interviewing Wladyslaw Krasuski about a 1944 sighting near a German military compound
- Describes a "large, circular, vertically-rising vehicle"
- Partially redacted for witness protection
FBI Case File 62-HQ-83894 — Complete (1947–1968)
- 14 sections/serials spanning 21 years of FBI UFO investigations
- Includes Oak Ridge, TN photographic evidence and technical propulsion proposals
- Previously posted on FBI Vault with MORE redactions and missing pages
- This release includes the COMPLETE case file with newly declassified pages
Diamond-Shaped UAP at 434 Knots (Greece, Jan 2024)
- Estimated speed: ~499 mph — diamond-shaped with non-maneuvering probe at bottom
- Only visible via Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) sensor — invisible to all other detection methods
- 2-minute observation window
Triangular Metallic UAP (Mediterranean)
- Altitude: ~25,000 feet • Speed: 168 knots (193 mph)
- Described explicitly as "triangular and metallic"
Multiple 90° Turns at 80 mph (Greece, Oct 2023)
- Observed "flying just above the surface of the ocean"
- Made multiple 90-degree turns — aerodynamically impossible for conventional aircraft at speed
- Has associated DVIDS video
P-8A Tracking at 500 Knots, Sea Skim (Syria, Nov 2016)
- P-8A maritime patrol aircraft detected object via EO/IR sensor
- Object at ~575 mph on southeasterly heading at sea-skim altitude
- Lost visual after 2 minutes
"Bouncy Ball" UAP at 483 mph for 7+ Minutes (Syria, Nov 2023)
- Described as "shaped as a bouncy ball"
- Sustained ~424 knots (483 mph) for at least 7 minutes
- Observer assessed as "benign"
French COMETA Report + Von Braun Letter
- French independent report on UFOs and defense — originally published 1999
- Study by the Institute of Higher Studies for National Defence
- Includes letter from Carol Rosin, Wernher von Braun's spokesperson during his final years
- Partially redacted — now released through U.S. channels
"Cold Objects" with Abrupt Directional Changes (Arabian Sea, 2020)
- Multiple range fouler reports of cold objects on IR making "abrupt directional changes"
- One tracked for 8 minutes at 277 mph via "black hot" IR
- Cold IR signature is anomalous — most aircraft/missiles produce heat
Formation Flight & Coordinated Behavior (Arabian Gulf, 2020–2023)
- "Formation of unknown flying objects" traveling NE to NW along coast — tracked ~2 minutes
- Three UAP "moving amongst each other" — one surpassing another at higher speed
- Suggests coordinated, intelligent behavior between multiple objects
Where They Were Seen
The dataset now spans 34 unique locations across 6 continents, the Moon, and Low Earth Orbit. The Middle East still dominates, but INDOPACOM and domestic US are now represented.
82 Years of Records
The expanded release partially fills the two major gaps. Apollo missions, State Dept cables, and a 2013 military video now provide coverage where none existed before.
What's New vs. Known
🆕 Genuinely New Disclosures (Updated)
- FBI 302: Senior intelligence official UAP encounter at military facility
- FBI September 2023: Bronze metallic object, 130–195 ft, with composite sketch
- Western US Event: 7 federal employees, "orbs launching other orbs"
- Apollo 12/17 lunar photos with highlighted UAP — DOW opens investigation
- Apollo 11/12/17 transcripts + Skylab debriefings
- State Dept cables: Kazakhstan 90° turns, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, Georgia, Turkmenistan
- INDOPACOM sensor videos: East China Sea, Japan — first Pacific theater footage
- 2026 Army report from North America — most recent file ever released
- 28 total military sensor videos (up from 13)
⚠️ Questions This Raises
- Gaps narrowed but not eliminated — 1974–1984 and 2005–2012 still empty
- Why 25 FBI "Photo B" files from Western US with identical descriptions?
- Still no Navy Nimitz/Roosevelt encounters
- INDOPACOM videos added — are EUCOM and SOUTHCOM next?
- DOW actively investigating Apollo 17 photo — what triggered the new analysis?
- What's in Release 02?
Do These 294 Files Prove Aliens Exist?
None of these 294 files contain direct evidence of extraterrestrial life. But Release 02 significantly strengthened the case for something genuinely anomalous — and the needle moves into "Compelling" territory. Release 03 broadens the historical record with the CIA's first contribution and new FBI orb reports.
The Bottom Line
Eighty-two years of documentation across multiple agencies — now 294 files strong across three releases — proves one thing conclusively: the U.S. government has tracked unexplained objects with extraordinary capabilities since at least 1944, from the lunar surface to beneath the ocean.
Release 02 adds critical new evidence categories: transmedium behavior (objects entering/exiting water near a submarine), military engagement footage (the Lake Huron shootdown), physical residue (copper powder at New Mexico sites), and coordinated behavior (orbs chasing fighter jets in formation). When an archive draws 1 billion hits in 14 days, the public clearly agrees: these questions demand answers.
The question is no longer whether the government takes UAP seriously. It's what they'll release next.
Browse All 294 Documents
Search, filter by agency, and access every PDF, video, and image from PURSUE Releases 01, 02 & 03.