PURSUE Record — PURSUE Case PR-050: Aug 2022: U.S. Department of War / AARO · Four unidentified objects in formation over water near Iran. CENTCOM infrared. | 4

PURSUE Case PR-050 is a single-part military sensor video released on May 8, 2026, as part of PURSUE Release 01 — the U.S. Department of War's first coordinated declassification of UAP-related records. The footage originates from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and was captured in August 2022 over water in the vicinity of Iran. It shows four unidentified objects flying in formation, recorded in the infrared spectrum. This record is one of 28 videos in the 162-document release and is catalogued in full on the SkyLens UAP files page.

What this record contains

PR-050 is a single video file coordinated through the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and released by the U.S. Department of War. The incident date is documented as August 2022, placing it among the more recent military UAP encounters in the PURSUE Release 01 set. The official description identifies four unidentified objects flying in formation over water near Iran, captured on CENTCOM infrared sensors. Beyond this metadata, the public release does not include additional case documentation — no analyst commentary, no resolved/unresolved classification, and no named witnesses are attached to this record in the release materials.

The video constitutes one file part, meaning it is a discrete, self-contained clip rather than a multi-segment sequence. The formation aspect of the sighting — four objects moving together — is the most operationally significant detail present in the metadata, as formation flight implies either coordinated control or a shared origin. The geographic setting, described as over water near Iran, places this within CENTCOM's area of operational responsibility spanning the Persian Gulf and broader Middle East theater.

Sensor & operational context

CENTCOM infrared footage of this type is typically produced by Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) systems mounted on fixed-wing aircraft, rotary platforms, or unmanned aerial systems operating across the region. Infrared sensors do not capture visible light — they detect differences in thermal radiation emitted or reflected by objects relative to their surrounding environment. This makes them particularly effective for surveillance operations at night or in conditions where electro-optical cameras would be limited. Objects that appear prominently in infrared imagery are registering a thermal differential against the background — in this case, water — though the precise nature of that differential depends on the object's material composition, temperature, altitude, and velocity, none of which are specified in the public release metadata for PR-050.

CENTCOM maintains persistent surveillance across the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and surrounding maritime areas. Military infrared sensor systems in that theater are well-calibrated and routinely image aircraft, drones, surface vessels, and atmospheric phenomena. When such a system logs four objects in apparent formation that cannot be immediately categorized, the footage is considered notable enough to enter AARO's review and documentation pipeline — which is the pathway by which this clip reached the PURSUE Release 01 declassification set.

What this does and does not prove

The documented facts are limited but specific: four objects, formation flight, over water, near Iran, August 2022, captured on military infrared. What the record does not establish — at least not through publicly available release metadata — is the nature, origin, altitude, speed, or size of the objects. No resolution, whether natural phenomenon, human-made technology, foreign military asset, or uncharacterized, is attached to this case. "Unidentified" means precisely that: the objects were not resolved before this record entered the declassification pipeline. Formation flight could reflect coordinated drone activity, atmospheric optical effects, sensor artifacts, or something genuinely uncharacterized. The footage itself would be the primary basis for deeper analysis, and that analysis is not represented in the current public release materials.

How it fits PURSUE Release 01

PR-050 sits within the contemporary Department of War / AARO tier of PURSUE Release 01 — the set of post-2020 military sensor records that reflect AARO's active collection mandate rather than historical archive retrieval. Alongside other recent sensor videos in the release, it represents the current operational picture: U.S. military platforms are regularly logging objects that cannot be immediately categorized, particularly in active surveillance theaters like the Persian Gulf. For broader context on the full scope of cases across the release — including resolved cases included to demonstrate analytical discipline — see the SkyLens UAP files page and additional PURSUE Release 01 coverage on this site.

Editorial note: This analysis is independent commentary on a publicly released document. The original record, source links, and full release metadata are catalogued on the SkyLens UAP files page alongside every other case in the PURSUE Release 01 set.