In a report released under a 2024 label, a U.S. military aircraft during Operation Inherent Resolve flying armed overwatch under Operation Inherent Resolve (the file is labeled East China Sea, but the narrative places the mission in the CENTCOM region) recorded an unidentified object its crew could not explain.
The encounter is documented in an official USCENTCOM mission report, declassified and released through AARO — the Pentagon's UAP office.
The report confirms the crew observed an unidentified aerial phenomena. But the specifics — position, sensors, identities — are withheld under national-security and privacy exemptions.
Below is the document itself, reconstructed with the redactions preserved, followed by the full narration transcript and the approximate location of the encounter.
SECRET//NOFORN October 2025
UAP Mission Report — East China Sea (October 2025)
Narrative
(SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY) DEPARTED OKAS AT 1740Z TO CONDUCT ARMED OVERWATCH IVO 38SKC63 2 ARRIVED ON STATION AT APPROXIMATELY 1930Z AND CHECKED IN WITH ██████████(b)(1) ████████1.4a ██████████(b)(1) 1.4 ██████████(b)(1) ████████1.4a ██████████(b)(1) ████████1.4a ██████████(b)(1) ████████1.4a PERFORMED A WEAPONS CALIBRATION, HAVING RELEASED CREW OBSERVED AN UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA DURING ITS PGM SHOT (SEE UAP 1). GFC INTENT MET. LANDED AT OKAS AT 0046Z. ██████████(b)(1) ████████1.4a ██████████(b)(1) ████████1.4a ██████████(b)(1) ████████1.4a WAS CLEARED OFF STATION AT 2323Z. (S/RELIDO)
Admin
- OPERATION: INHERENT RESOLVE
- COCOM: USCENTCOM
- UNIT: SOTU 016
Declassified 2049 — AARO release · USCENTCOM Mission Report — Approved for Release to AARO
All documents and footage are authentic, public-domain U.S. government releases. Narration is AI-generated text-to-speech.