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SF-2026-001472UnverifiedAliens & UAPs

FBI-UAP-D033, FD-302, “Thermally Elevated Aerial Object,” 2026

This document is an FBI FD-302, the standard form the Federal Bureau of Investigation uses to record interviews. Per the releasing source, it captures a 2026 interview with a U.S. Government Special Agent describing a possible unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) incident in the western United States at approximately 9:00 PM local time. In the attached verbatim written statement, the Special Agent reports observing, at approximately 2100 hours, a thermally elevated aerial object in the same general western sector and along a similar heading as an object seen the previous night. The object appeared roughly two ridgelines farther west; due to distance and terrain separation, the agent could not identify specific physical characteristics or configuration, but described it as a hot aerial object under thermal observation flying southbound. During the same operational period, the agent recorded video of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter operating in the area to establish a visual and thermal reference for scale; by comparison, the unidentified object appeared approximately half the size of the Black Hawk (an estimate only). The agent could not determine the object's make, model, propulsion type, or whether it was fixed-wing, rotary-wing, or an unmanned aerial system. The object continued southbound and was eventually lost from observation due to terrain and distance. The document is redacted and notes it contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI.

Source: U.S. Department of Warwar.govIncident 2026Released Aug 7, 2026Discovered Aug 8, 2026249.2 KBdocument
sha256:bea21a52d0bfcf82ca28

Description

An FBI FD-302 interview form recording a Special Agent's written statement describing observation of a thermally elevated, unidentified aerial object in the western United States in 2026, released by the U.S. Department of War as part of its 2026 UAP disclosure (Release 5).

Claims

  • The agent could not determine the object's make, model, propulsion type, or airframe type due to distance and limited detail.

    80%
  • The object's make, model, propulsion type, and classification (fixed-wing, rotary-wing, or unmanned) could not be determined due to distance and limited detail.

    75%
  • A Special Agent observed a thermally elevated aerial object in the western sector at approximately 2100 hours in 2026, along a heading similar to an object seen the previous night.

    75%
  • A Special Agent observed a thermally elevated aerial object flying southbound in the western United States at approximately 2100 hours in 2026.

    70%
  • Through thermal observation, the object presented as a hot aerial object flying southbound.

    70%
  • The object was observed along a similar heading and direction of travel as an object seen the previous night.

    65%
  • Compared to a recorded U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, the unidentified object appeared to be approximately half its size (an estimate only).

    65%
  • The unidentified object appeared approximately half the size of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, based on an estimate using recorded reference footage.

    60%

Events

  1. Dec 31, 2025

    Observation of thermally elevated aerial object

    A Special Agent observed a thermally elevated, unidentified aerial object at approximately 2100 hours in the western United States, flying southbound, estimated at about half the size of a Black Hawk helicopter.

  2. Aug 6, 2026

    Release of FD-302 by Department of War

    The document was published as part of the Department of War's 2026 UAP disclosure, Release 5.

  3. Aug 6, 2026

    Document release

    Released by the U.S. Department of War as part of UAP release 5.

Dates mentioned

20262026-08-078/7/26

Keywords

Entities

Extracted text (OCR)
FD-302 (Rev. 5-8-10)

- 1 of 2 -

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Date of entry

-----

On or about /2026 ,
received from
a written
Special Agent
statement signed by l l l lspecial Agent
statement will
be attached t o this FD- 3 02 and is provided verbatim below for ease o f
reading :
" Unidentified Aerial Object Obs ervati on Report evening of 1111126
" On _

, 2026 , at approximately 2 1 00 ho urs, I,
Special Agent
posit i oned in the same general observation area referenced in my prior
statement fr om
. While conducting observat i on i n the area, I
observed a therma lly e l evated aerial ob ject in the same genera l western
sector and along a s i milar heading as t he ob ject obs erved t he previous
night .
The object appeared approxima te ly two ridge lines f arther west t h an the
l oca ti on where the
ob ject was observed. Due t o the increased
distance and terrain separation , I was unabl e t o i dentify specific physical
characteristics of t h e o bject or determine its exact c onfiguration . However,
the ob ject presented as a hot aerial object t h rough therma l observation and
appeared t o be f lying southbound , consistent with the general direction of
travel o bserved during t h e prio r n i ght 's sighting _
During this same operationa l perio d, I als o recorded video o f a u _s . Army
Black Hawk he l icopter o perating in the same general area . The purpose of
recording the h e licopter was t o estab li s h a v i sual and therma l reference
point for sca l e, flight characteristics, and comparative size assessment .
Based on my observati on and compari son t o the Black Hawk he li copter , t h e
u nidentified aeria l obj ect appeared t o be approximately ha l f the size of t h e
Bl ack Hawk . This size comparison is an estimate onl y , based on obs erved
appearance, di stance, and availabl e reference footage .
I was unable to determine the object ' s make , mode l, propulsion type, or

Investigation on

by
This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions ofthe FBI. It is the property ofthe FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not
to be distributed outside your agency.

FD-302a (Rev. 5-8-10)

Statement of Continuation ofFD-302 of

SA -

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ,On

_ _ ,Page

2 of 2

whet her it was a f i xed- wi ng , rotar y- wing, o r o ther unmanned aer i al sys tem
due t o the distance and limited observable detai l - The object cont inued
southbound and was eventu a lly l ost fr om obse rvat ion d ue t o terrai n and
distance .



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