Inside the 78 Files
Data-driven analysis of every speed, shape, sensor, and anomaly documented in PURSUE Release 01 — sourced exclusively from the primary documents.
Every data point on this page is extracted directly from the 78 files released at war.gov/ufo. No external sources. No inference. No speculation.
Documented Speeds
Only 8 of the 78 files include explicit speed estimates. Every value below is a direct quote from the document description.
How They Were Detected
The sensor type determines what you can see. These are the detection methods explicitly named in the documents.
Infrared (IR)
Standard military thermal imaging. Documents reference "black hot" IR mode, onboard IR sensors, and MX-20/MX-25 IR sensors. Used to track objects in Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Arabian Gulf, and Iraq.
Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR)
The Greece January 2024 diamond-shaped UAP was "only visible when viewed via an onboard Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) sensor."
EO/IR (Electro-Optical / Infrared)
Combined visible-light and infrared sensor suite. The P-8A pilot near Syria detected the 500-knot sea-skim object via the aircraft's EO/IR sensor.
Targeting Pod
One operator achieved a track on "several bright objects" via targeting pod for approximately 20 seconds before they "dimmed and disappeared." Another detected a "significant heat source" moving at high speed via MX-20 and MX-25 sensors.
Full-Motion Video (FMV)
Military full-motion video feeds captured the Syria October 2024 "misshapen ball of white light" and the Persian Gulf August 2020 encounter where "dense cloud coverage intermittently impacted FMV collection."
Visual Observation
Most MISREPs and range fouler reports are based on visual observation by trained military personnel, including the WWII foo fighters, Gemini 7 sighting, and numerous Gulf encounters.
What They Looked Like
Shape descriptions explicitly stated in document narratives. Many MISREPs do not include shape data.
Diamond
"Diamond-shaped, with a non-maneuvering probe at the bottom." SWIR-only visibility.
Triangular & Metallic
"Triangular and metallic UAP." 24,989 ft altitude, 168 knots.
Round / Spherical
"Round, cold object" (Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea). "Bouncy ball" (Syria 2023). "Balloon-shaped, metallic, and reflective" (Oct 2020).
Circular
"Large, circular, vertically-rising vehicle" (Krasuski, 1944). "Circular object with a crystal-type dome" (Detroit FBI report, 1958).
Cylindrical
"Unidentified cylindrical objects" documented alongside foo fighters by the 415th Night Fighter Squadron.
Light / Glare
"Misshapen and uneven ball of white light" with "light/glare halo effect" (Syria). "Several bright objects" that "dimmed and disappeared" (Iraq).
Disc / Saucer
FBI case file 62-HQ-83894 and 1946–1949 DoW files document "flying discs" and "flying saucers" extensively across 21 years of investigations.
"Line of Dots"
"Line of dots followed by a trailing dot." Unique morphology — not matching any conventional aircraft profile.
Anomalous Behaviors Documented
Unusual performance characteristics explicitly described in the 78 files, organized by behavior type. Each entry links to the specific document that describes it.
Unusual Speed / Sustained Velocity
6 documents- 575 mph in sea skim mode — P-8A EO/IR, Syria, Nov 2016
- 499 mph, diamond-shaped — SWIR only, Greece, Jan 2024
- 483 mph sustained for 7+ minutes — "bouncy ball," Syria, Nov 2023
- 369 mph, changed direction — Arabian Gulf, 2020
- 320 mph, increased speed — two UAP, Mediterranean
- "Speed was faster than flying speed" — Gulf of Aden, Jul 2024
Abrupt Directional Changes
4 documents- "Multiple 90-degree turns at an estimated 80 mph" — flying above the ocean surface, Greece, Oct 2023
- "Abrupt directional changes" — round cold object at 20 mph, Arabian Sea, Oct 2020
- "Made a few abrupt directional changes" — round cold object at 277 mph, Gulf of Aden, Sep 2020
- "Increased speed and changed direction" — Arabian Gulf, 2020 (two separate reports)
Unusual Signatures / Low Observability
4 documents- SWIR-only visibility — invisible to all other sensors, Greece, Jan 2024
- "Cold object" on IR — no heat signature despite sustained flight, Gulf of Aden, Sep 2020
- "Cold object" on IR — same anomaly, Arabian Sea, Oct 2020
- Dimmed and disappeared from targeting pod — bright objects vanished after 20 seconds, Iraq, 2020
Multi-Object / Coordinated Behavior
4 documents- "Formation of unknown flying objects" — traveling NE to NW along coast, Persian Gulf, Aug 2020
- Three UAP "moving amongst each other" — one surpassing another at higher speed, Arabian Gulf, Aug 2020
- "One range fouler was circling around the other" — two balloon-shaped metallic objects, Oct 2020
- Three "unidentified small air contacts" — maintained relative course, speed, and altitude, Arabian Sea, Aug 2020
Near-Surface / Trans-Medium Indicators
3 documents- "Flying just above the surface of the ocean" — 90° turns, Greece, Oct 2023
- "Sea skim mode" at 500 knots — extreme low altitude, Syria, Nov 2016
- "Erratic movements above the water" — solid white object, Persian Gulf, May 2020
Anomalous Appearance / Luminosity
4 documents- "Misshapen and uneven ball of white light" — with "light/glare halo effect," Syria, Oct 2024
- "2x red blinking strobes" — balloon-shaped metallic objects, Oct 2020
- "Blinking lights" — over Germany, 415th Night Fighter Squadron, 1944–1945
- "A brilliant body in the sun against a black background with trillions of particles" — Gemini 7, Dec 1965
82 Years of Records — The Full Picture
File count by era, showing the two conspicuous gaps and the 2020 concentration.
Where the Encounters Happened
Location data from documents that specify an incident location. ~20 files (FBI case files, policy memos) have no specified location.
Middle East / CENTCOM Theater ~33 files
The Middle East dominance reflects where the U.S. has maintained the most persistent ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) presence. More sensors = more observations.
Other Locations ~8 files
No Location Specified ~20 files
FBI case file sections (14), historical DoW memos, policy documents, Vandenberg launch records, and some Arabian Gulf MISREPs list no specific incident location.
What Each Agency Contributed
Four agencies, radically different document styles and time periods.
Department of War
52 files (66.7%)The bulk contributor. Modern MISREPs follow standardized reporting formats but vary dramatically in detail — some include speed, shape, and sensor data; others just note "observed one UAP."
FBI
20 files (25.6%)All historical. The complete 62-HQ-83894 case file (14 sections) spans 21 years of FBI UFO investigations with newly declassified pages not previously available on the FBI Vault.
NASA
3 files (3.8%)Small but significant. The Gemini 7 transcript and audio are the only space-based UAP observations in the release. The COMETA report is a NATO-allied defense assessment.
Department of State
2 files (2.6%)The smallest contributor, but the 1963 Executive Office memorandum — discussing contingency plans for alien contact — is among the most significant documents in the entire release.
What's Hidden — and What Isn't
44 of 78 files (56%) contain redactions. The stated policy is significant: redactions protect witnesses and facilities — not UAP information itself.
What IS Redacted
- Witness names and unit designations
- Specific facility identifiers in military MISREPs
- Some geographic coordinates in operational reports
- Personnel details in FBI interview records
- Operational details in recent email correspondence
What is NOT Redacted
- UAP descriptions — shape, speed, altitude, behavior
- Sensor types used (SWIR, IR, EO/IR, targeting pods)
- Observer assessments and characterizations
- Duration of encounters
- General geographic regions
- Historical policy discussions
What Kind of Documents Are These?
The 78 files span seven distinct document categories.
Mission Reports (MISREP)
Standardized military encounter reports submitted to AARO. The core of the modern files. Quality varies from detailed sensor data to single-sentence observations.
Range Fouler Debriefs
U.S. Navy reports of unauthorized airspace intrusions during military operations. Often more detailed than MISREPs, with narrative descriptions of observer experiences.
FBI Case Files
Complete 62-HQ-83894 (14 sections/serials) plus Detroit sighting, Krasuski account, and Section 1/8. Spans 1944–1968.
Historical Memorandums
1940s–1960s Air Force, State Department, and Executive Office memos on flying discs, incident summaries, and policy questions.
Email Correspondence
Recent INDOPACOM and Pacific communications (2023–2025). Demonstrates active UAP reporting chains in current military operations.
Space & International
NASA Gemini 7 transcript and audio. French COMETA defense report on UFOs, released through U.S. channels.
Launch / Technical Records
Vandenberg AFB launch summary and booster failure modeling. Historical reference material with peripheral UAP relevance.
How This Analysis Was Produced
Every data point, quote, speed value, shape description, sensor reference, and geographic location on this page was extracted directly from the 78 document records in PURSUE Release 01 as published at war.gov/ufo on May 8, 2026.
What we did:
- Parsed the complete PURSUE Release 01 manifest (78 records) including all document descriptions, metadata, and associated media pairings
- Extracted explicit data points: speeds, altitudes, shapes, sensor types, durations, locations, and behavioral descriptions
- Organized findings by category without embellishment or external interpretation
- Quoted document language directly where possible (marked with quotation marks)
What we did not do:
- Reference any incident not documented in the 78 files
- Infer speeds, shapes, or behaviors not explicitly stated in documents
- Cross-reference with external UAP databases, Wikipedia, or prior releases
- Speculate about what should or shouldn't be in the release
Analysis date: May 8, 2026 • Source: war.gov/ufo — PURSUE Release 01