View original document (0.3 MB)
A newly declassified U.S. military document describes a 2020 encounter in which a U.S. operator observed two unidentified objects over a training range, with one described as “circling around the other,” according to records released by the Department of War.
Document Details and Operator Account
The record, titled “DOW-UAP-D58, Range Fouler Debrief, NA, October 2020,” was released on May 8, 2026, through the Department of War’s PURSUE archive. The document is a Range Fouler Debrief, a standardized form the U.S. Navy uses to record unauthorized intrusions into controlled airspace during active military operations or training. According to the official description, these reports contain a narrative account of the observer’s experiences.
The document indicates the incident occurred on October 27, 2020, at 01:12:21 Zulu time, under night conditions. The operator, whose rank is listed as O-3, reported a group of two unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). The operator characterized the objects as “balloon-shaped,” metallic, and reflective, noting they appeared as “2x red blinking strobes.” The report states that “one range fouler was circling around the other.”
The Department of War’s official description cautions that “all descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event.” It further notes that such characterizations “should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.”
The debrief form, filled out by the operator, includes checkboxes indicating the objects were metallic, reflective, and balloon-shaped. The operator also checked that the objects were opaque and that a “tally” was achieved. The form lists the number of contacts in the group as two. The operator noted the objects had no apparent propulsion system and that no electronic attack (EA) indications were detected. The contact altitude is listed as 26,000 feet, and the operator indicated the contact was moving, with a direction and speed noted as 060/20.
Context and Classification
The document is part of the PURSUE archive, a collection of U.S. government records related to unidentified aerial phenomena. The Department of War, which released the document, describes the Range Fouler Debrief as a standard reporting mechanism for airspace intrusions. The form itself includes fields for mission description, contact location, and technical details, but the released excerpt contains redactions, including the operator’s name, squadron, and specific location coordinates.
Per a Wikipedia summary of unidentified flying objects, the term “UFO” was coined when U.S. Air Force investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes reported to consider them all saucers or discs. Wikipedia notes that UFOs are also known as unidentified aerial phenomena or unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). The encyclopedia entry states that upon investigation, most UFOs are identified as known objects or atmospheric phenomena, while a small number remain unexplained.
What Remains Unanswered
The document provides a specific operator account but leaves several questions open. The official description notes that the record’s summary offers limited detail beyond the operator’s subjective interpretation. The exact location of the encounter is not specified in the released excerpt, and the document does not identify the specific aircraft or mission type beyond a “DCA” (Defensive Counter Air) notation. The operator’s narrative field, which would contain a more detailed description, is not fully legible in the released PDF.
Readers should watch for future PURSUE archive releases, which may include additional Range Fouler Debriefs or other records that could provide further context on this or similar incidents. The Department of War’s ongoing declassification efforts under the PURSUE program are expected to continue releasing documents related to UAP encounters.
