PURSUE Record — FBI Photo B24: FBI · Western United States · Late 2025

FBI Photo B24 is a declassified PDF submitted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), derived from a U.S. military imaging system during an incident in the Western United States in late 2025. The FBI — an agency not typically associated with operational sensor imagery — submitted this single-image report under the post-2022 AARO reporting framework, which obligates relevant federal agencies to channel UAP observations into a centralized investigative body. The record was publicly released on May 8, 2026 as part of PURSUE Release 01.

What this record contains

The record is a single-part PDF, released by the FBI, covering an incident in the late 2025 timeframe at an unspecified location in the Western United States. The official description states that the document consists of a still image "derived from a U.S. military system," and that the original imagery was altered with redactions before submission to AARO. No accompanying mission report was provided. The operator on record noted they were "unable to positively identify the UAP." The record also flags a metadata anomaly: the date embedded in the image is incorrect because the system's date/time was not properly configured at the time of capture.

The image itself is described as monochrome with a grainy texture and a simplified central crosshair — consistent with targeting or electro-optical overlays used in military imaging systems. A single dark, irregular-shaped object is visible just above the center of the reticle. Beyond this, the public release contains no additional sensor data, altitude, range, speed, or observational detail. The narrative description accompanying the image is explicitly noted as informational only, carrying no analytical or investigative weight from the releasing agency.

Historical & documentary context

The FBI's role in UAP reporting has evolved considerably since its earliest documented involvement during the late 1940s. While the Bureau's historical files — covering the 1947–1968 era and also included in the PURSUE Release 01 set — reflect a Cold War-era investigative posture focused on national security threats, FBI Photo B24 reflects an entirely different regulatory context. Under the UAP Disclosure Act framework and AARO's reporting mandate, federal law enforcement agencies are now formal participants in the centralized UAP data pipeline. This record represents the FBI operating in that contemporary capacity: not as a primary investigator, but as a conduit for a military sensor observation it received and forwarded.

The sensor characteristics described — monochrome imagery, crosshair overlay, grainy texture — are consistent with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) or similar military electro-optical systems, though the record does not specify the sensor type. The absence of a mission report and the incorrect embedded timestamp are operationally significant: they constrain what analysts can determine about observation geometry, sensor range, and the precise timing of the event. These gaps are not unusual in declassified releases — redaction and partial submission are standard practice — but they do limit what independent review can conclude.

What this does and does not prove

What the record documents is narrow: a U.S. military sensor captured a still image of an object the operator could not identify, the FBI transmitted that image to AARO, and the image contains redactions with an unreliable embedded timestamp. Those are the documented facts. The record does not establish the object's size, distance, velocity, or origin. It does not confirm any anomalous capability or behavior. The AARO submission process is investigative, not conclusive — "unresolved" means the case has not been explained to date, not that the object is anything other than mundane. The missing mission report is a significant evidentiary gap that forecloses deeper analysis of this specific image without access to the underlying sensor system records.

How it fits PURSUE Release 01

FBI Photo B24 sits within the FBI-sourced thread of the broader release, which spans both historic Bureau files from the mid-twentieth century and this contemporary AARO submission. Across the 162-document PURSUE Release 01 set — comprising 28 videos, 14 images, and 120 PDFs — the FBI-submitted records collectively illustrate how federal law enforcement now interfaces with the AARO reporting structure. For context on what other sensor records and contemporaneous Department of War mission reports in the release look like, the full index is available on the SkyLens 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.