CASE FILE D-12
The UAP a Drone Crew Followed But Couldn't Identify
2026-08-25 · Declassified UAP records
In May 2022, an MQ-9 Reaper flew a signals-intelligence mission over Iraq, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
According to the declassified USCENTCOM mission report (Misrep 7528881), at 2043 Zulu the crew observed a UAP flying north to northeast — and followed it as long as possible.
The imagery screener could not get a positive identification. The report's fields for the object's physical state, size, and number are blank or redacted under national-security exemption 1.4a.
It was tracked on full-motion video, exploited by a Distributed Common Ground System station — and still went unidentified.
Below is the declassified page, redactions preserved.
The Document
SECRET//NOFORN May 2022
UAP Mission Report — Iraq (May 2022)
Narrative
(S//REL) AT 0542Z, ████████1.4a TOOK OFF LATE FROM OKAS. AT 0551Z, ████████1.4a HANDED OVER FROM THE LRE. FROM 0614Z TO 2346Z, ████████1.4a COLLECTED SIGINT VIA AIRHANDLER VERSION 2. FROM 0927Z TO 2121Z, ████████1.4a SUPPORTED OP PHANTOM FLEX IVO 38SMC36 ████████1.4a 20 ████████1.4a ISO MAG (SEE ISR 1). AT 2121Z, ████████1.4a WAS CLEARED TO RTB. AT 0005Z, ████████1.4a HANDED BACK TO THE LRE. AT 0036Z, ████████1.4a LANDED AT OKAS. FMV WAS EXPLOITED BY DGS 1. (S/RELIDO)
Admin
- OPERATION: INHERENT RESOLVE
- COCOM: USCENTCOM
- UNIT: 196 ATKS
Declassified 2047 — AARO release · USCENTCOM Mission Report — Approved for Release to AARO
Where It Happened
Full Transcript
Over Iraq, at 20:43 Zulu, a U.S. drone crew locked onto something they couldn't identify — and followed it as long as they could.
May 2022. An MQ-9 Reaper was flying signals-intelligence collection over Iraq, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
At 20:43 Zulu, they observed a UAP. It was flying north to northeast. They tracked it as long as possible — and the screener could not get a positive ID.
The report has a section to describe it — physical state, size, number. Those fields are blank or redacted under exemption 1.4a. They watched it, followed it, and still couldn't say what it was.
A UAP over Iraq, flying north — and no one could identify it. Search Case D-12 at ufodata.org. What do you think it was? Subscribe to UFO Data.
Sources
All documents and footage are authentic, public-domain U.S. government releases. Narration is AI-generated text-to-speech.