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According to Department of War records released under the PURSUE archive on May 8, 2026, a U.S. military operator reported detecting a single Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP) during a mission over the Gulf of Oman on June 7, 2024. The document, titled “DOW-UAP-D27, Mission Report, United Arab Emirates, October 2023,” is a standardized Mission Report (MISREP) form used by the U.S. military to record operational circumstances, including UAP sightings reported to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
The report details a mission conducted by a single aircraft, identified by the callsign (b)(1)1.4a, which took off from the Al Minhad Air Base (ICAO code OMAM) in the United Arab Emirates at 2100Z on June 6, 2024. The aircraft, an asset type listed as (b)(1)1.4a, (b)(1)1.4g, was operating under Operation ENDURING SENTINEL, assigned to the 3rd Special Operations Squadron (3 SOS) of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The mission type was Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).
The official description from the Department of War notes that the operator estimated the UAP’s altitude at approximately 24,000 feet and its speed at 163 knots (187 mph). The document’s narrative states that at 0457Z, “DURING RTB (b)(1)1.4a DETECTED 1X UAP (SEE UAP 1).” The “RTB” acronym stands for “Return to Base.” The record’s official summary offers limited detail beyond the detection itself, noting that all descriptive and estimative language “reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event” and should not be interpreted as conclusive evidence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.
Document Structure and Redactions
The MISREP form is heavily redacted, with numerous fields marked as “Unavailable” or obscured by exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including (b)(1)1.4a, (b)(3), 130b, and (b)(6). The document was declassified on October 24, 2025, by Major General Richard A. Harrison, USCENTCOM Chief of Staff, and approved for release to AARO. The mission report lists a total of 10:13 mission hours, with the aircraft landing back at OMAM at 0713Z on June 7, 2024.
The document’s “Gentext” section, which typically contains qualitative, contextual information, is limited to a timeline of takeoff and landing details. The mission was part of Operation ENDURING SENTINEL, a U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) operation. The report also notes that the aircraft was equipped with a Target Pod (TGT Pod) designated AN/DAS-1, additional avionics including AH/GMESH/SF, and a LINK 16 data link system.
Context from AARO and Wikipedia
Per a Wikipedia summary of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, AARO is an office within the United States Office of the Secretary of Defense that investigates unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and other phenomena in the air, sea, and/or space and/or on land. Wikipedia’s entry on AARO notes that its first director was physicist Sean Kirkpatrick, who reported to then deputy defense secretary Kathleen Hicks, and its current director is Jon T. Kosloski. The Department of War document explicitly states that U.S. military services often use MISREPs to report UAP to AARO, linking this specific report to the official government investigation process.
The Department of War’s PURSUE archive, which released this document, is a centralized repository for declassified UAP-related records. The document’s classification level was SECRET with the caveat NOFORN (not releasable to foreign nationals), and its declassification date is listed as June 6, 2049. The report was submitted by personnel from the 3 SOS, with points of contact including a Senior Airman (SrA) and an Airman First Class (A1C), though their names and units are redacted under FOIA exemptions.
What Remains Unanswered
The mission report does not provide a physical description of the UAP, nor does it specify the type of sensor or system that detected it. The narrative’s reference to “SEE UAP 1” suggests an additional attachment or annex that was not included in the released document. The report also notes that the aircraft’s initial tasking was canceled due to weather, and the UAP detection occurred during the return to base, raising questions about whether the sighting was incidental to the primary mission.
Readers should watch for future PURSUE releases that may include the referenced “UAP 1” attachment or additional mission reports from the same time period and region. The Department of War’s ongoing declassification efforts, as mandated by the 2024 PURSUE Act, are expected to yield further documents that could clarify the nature of this and other reported anomalies in the Gulf of Oman.
