The Plain Record

Neutral daily news — clear headlines, complete facts.

National

Pentagon Releases Sixth Batch of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Files

The Pentagon released 71 files on unidentified anomalous phenomena, including studies on theoretical propulsion and reports of medical injuries linked to unknown craft.

Published September 18, 2026 at 11:20 AM EDT

The short answer

The Pentagon released 71 files on unidentified anomalous phenomena, including studies on theoretical propulsion and reports of medical injuries linked to unknown craft. The Pentagon released its sixth batch of files regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), commonly known as UFOs, on Friday. The release includes 71 files consisting of 55 PDFs, 15 videos, and one audio recording, with dates ranging from 1952 to 2025.

Pentagon Releases Sixth Batch of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Files

The Facts

Who
The Department of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and Air Force officer Edward Ruppelt.
What
The Pentagon released 71 files, including 15 videos and 55 PDFs, detailing the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) and other UAP reports.
When
Friday, with an additional announcement on the following Monday.
Where
Washington, D.C.; Colorado; and the Middle East.
Why
To provide public access to historical and contemporary records regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena and to facilitate reporting from individuals previously restricted by non-disclosure agreements.

The Pentagon released its sixth batch of files regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), commonly known as UFOs, on Friday. The release includes 71 files consisting of 55 PDFs, 15 videos, and one audio recording, with dates ranging from 1952 to 2025. The documents include details on the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP), a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) initiative that operated from 2008 to 2012 to study potential future aerospace threats.

The AAWSAP was established to investigate advanced technologies that could influence the "future threat environment" through the year 2050. Documents from the program outline studies into theoretical concepts such as warp drives, wormholes, antigravity, and invisibility cloaking. The Pentagon stated in accompanying notes that these materials are reference and synthesis products rather than original research, and do not imply that the government has validated the concepts discussed.

Among the disclosures is a 2010 technical study analyzing medical injuries reported by observers of anomalous aerospace systems. The report details cases involving three individuals described as "antennae engineers" who experienced symptoms including hair loss, skin redness, and signs of radiation illness following an anomalous aerospace-related event. The author of the study noted that the medical data supported a hypothesis that some advanced systems, currently "opaque to full US understanding," may already be deployed.

The video files include military footage from the Middle East showing small, spherical objects moving at speeds between 80 and 180 miles per hour. One 2022 report described objects roughly 1 to 2 meters in size flying sporadically, while another video showed six objects described as agile and frequently changing direction. Additionally, the release contains reports from Colorado law enforcement in October 2023, describing silent objects with flashing red, blue, and green lights.

Historical documents in the batch include a 1952 recording of Air Force officer Edward Ruppelt, who later led the UFO investigation known as Project Blue Book. Ruppelt stated that approximately 20% of the 800 reports investigated by the Air Force at that time remained unexplained despite coming from reliable sources. On the Monday following this release, the Pentagon announced a legal waiver allowing individuals previously bound by non-disclosure agreements to share UAP-related information with the government.

For the public and researchers, the release includes 37 Defense Intelligence Reference Documents that were previously available but now include details previously withheld, such as the names of the agency offices that produced them. While many of these documents discuss theoretical physics, the 2010 report on human injury provides a record of medical symptoms—such as radiation illness and signs of malignant transformations—attributed to anomalous encounters.

The disclosure covers historical and contemporary UAP reports, ranging from the era of Project Blue Book to modern tracking in the Middle East and domestic law enforcement reporting. Following the Pentagon's announcement on Monday regarding the legal waivers, the government will now allow those previously restricted by secrecy agreements to share information with the government.

Timeline of what happened

Key dates and decisions, in the order they occurred.

  1. January 1, 1952

    Air Force officer Edward Ruppelt discusses UFO investigations

  2. January 1, 1952

    Project Blue Book begins investigating UFOs

  3. January 1, 1969

    Project Blue Book ends

  4. January 1, 2008

    Defense Intelligence Agency establishes AAWSAP

  5. January 1, 2010

    Study analyzes injuries to human observers of anomalous systems

  6. January 1, 2012

    AAWSAP initiative ends

  7. January 1, 2022

    Military operators record UAP flying in the Middle East

  8. October 1, 2023

    Colorado law enforcement reports silent objects with flashing lights

Summaries are written by The Plain Record to state the facts of a story plainly and without political slant. Drafted with AI assistance and checked against the source record before publication. See how we report, or report a correction.

← Back to the front page

Questions readers ask

What happened: Pentagon Releases Sixth Batch of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Files?

The Pentagon released 71 files, including 15 videos and 55 PDFs, detailing the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) and other UAP reports.

Who is involved?

The Department of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and Air Force officer Edward Ruppelt.

When did this happen?

Friday, with an additional announcement on the following Monday.

Where did this happen?

Washington, D.C.; Colorado; and the Middle East.

Why does this matter?

To provide public access to historical and contemporary records regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena and to facilitate reporting from individuals previously restricted by non-disclosure agreements.