PURSUE Record — PURSUE Case PR-069: declassified UAP analysis: U.S. Department of War / AARO · · CENTCOM · FLIR | F/A-18 FLIR UAP · See case metadata

PURSUE Case PR-069 is a declassified military sensor video released by the U.S. Department of War and the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) on May 8, 2026, as part of PURSUE Release 01. The record documents a UAP encounter captured by a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor aboard an F/A-18 aircraft operating under U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). It is one of 28 videos in the 162-document release — a single file part representing sensor footage from an active tactical military platform.

What this record contains

PR-069 is classified in the public catalogue as a VID record — raw or processed sensor video — originating from the U.S. Department of War via AARO coordination. The releasing agency identifies the operational theatre as CENTCOM, which encompasses U.S. military operations across the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia. The sensor platform is an F/A-18 equipped with a FLIR pod. The public release does not specify a precise incident date beyond "see case metadata," and the description blurb accompanying the record on the SkyLens UAP files page provides no additional location granularity or witness information beyond the CENTCOM and FLIR designators. The release consists of a single file part.

Sensor & operational context

FLIR sensors detect infrared radiation — heat — rather than visible light, making them valuable for tracking objects in low-visibility conditions and at altitude. An F/A-18's targeting FLIR pod is designed for precise acquisition of surface and aerial targets; it is not optimized for characterizing novel atmospheric phenomena, and this introduces well-documented interpretive limits. Objects filmed in FLIR can exhibit apparent motion artifacts driven by sensor gimbal lag, thermal bloom, and parallax — all of which can make a conventional object appear to accelerate, rotate, or disappear in ways that seem anomalous. CENTCOM airspace is among the most heavily surveilled operational environments in the world, with persistent ISR coverage and frequent rotational deployments of F/A-18 strike packages. That operational density means sensor contacts are routine, and encounter reports from the region have formed a significant portion of AARO's post-2021 intake.

What this does and does not prove

The documented facts are narrow: a U.S. military F/A-18 FLIR sensor recorded something within CENTCOM airspace, that recording was preserved, reviewed through AARO's coordination process, and cleared for public release under PURSUE Release 01. Nothing in the available public metadata characterises the object's size, speed, altitude, behaviour, or resolution status. "Unresolved" in AARO's framework means the case has not been explained to a satisfactory analytical standard — it does not confirm anomalous origin or capability. Equally, the absence of a mundane explanation does not imply one does not exist. Readers should treat PR-069 as an open investigative record, not a conclusion.

How it fits PURSUE Release 01

PR-069 sits within the Department of War / AARO tier of PURSUE Release 01 — contemporary military sensor records distinct from the FBI archive series dating to 1947 and the NASA imagery materials also included in the release. The 28 videos in the release as a whole represent the most operationally current layer of the disclosure, sourced from active platforms rather than historical files. For context on the full shape of the release and where PR-069 sits among the other 161 records, the complete catalogue is available at the SkyLens UAP files page, and broader analysis of the PURSUE series appears across our PURSUE coverage.

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.