The newly released records span from 1948 to 2025 and include reports, videos and images tied to unresolved unidentified aerial phenomena
Credit: Department of War
NEED TO KNOW
- The Pentagon has added 40 newly declassified UFO files — including documents, videos, audio recordings and images — to its public archive
- The records span from 1948 to 2025 and include reports from agencies including the Pentagon, NASA, the CIA, the FBI and the Department of Energy
- Among the newly released files are military reports describing unexplained aerial encounters, including one pilot’s account of a “metallic object… of tremendous size”
The Pentagon has expanded its public UFO archive with dozens of newly released records, from declassified documents to videos, audio recordings and images tied to decades of unexplained aerial incidents.
The latest release includes 40 files made up of 14 documents, 19 videos, four audio files and three images, all related to what officials describe as “unresolved” unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), more commonly referred to as UFOs, or unidentified flying objects.
The files released on July 10 were sourced from several government agencies and cover incidents from 1948 through 2025.
Credit: Department of War
Among the newly released records is a 1949 analysis of unexplained flying objects that references a fatal military pursuit the previous year. According to the document, a National Guard pilot died on Jan. 7, 1948, while attempting to intercept an unidentified object at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
The report states that investigators believed the pilot likely suffered anoxia before crashing, a severe medical condition in which the body or brain completely runs out of oxygen, but noted that his final radio transmission described the object as a large metallic object.
“It appears to be metallic object…of tremendous size…directly ahead and slightly above…I am trying to [get] close for a better look,” the pilot said in his last message to the control tower, according to the document.
Credit: Department of War
Another document included in the release features a transcript from a 1949 conference held in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where prominent physicists and scientists gathered. During the discussion, attendees examined reports of unusual “green fireballs” seen over the nuclear facility, though they were unable to determine a clear explanation for the sightings.
One theory suggested the objects could have been meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere. However, according to the transcript, a prominent astronomer argued that “nothing like this … has ever been observed in the case of meteorite drops.”
The collection also includes a 2019 “range fouler reporting form,” which the Pentagon described as a standardized U.S. Navy reporting form used to document unauthorized intrusions into controlled airspace during military operations or training.
In that report, an aviator described witnessing an object unlike anything encountered during nearly three decades of military service.
“In between mission sorties, I noticed an object with flight characteristics unlike anything I had seen in my 28 years of performing [redacted] for the USAF and Navy,” the report states. “Others with equal or more experience were also unsure as to what this object might be.”
The newly released videos similarly document separate incidents in which infrared sensors detected unidentified aerial objects in different locations.
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The latest records are part of the fourth public release, according to a statement shared on X by Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell.
“Today, the Department of War is publishing the fourth release of declassified and historical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE),” the statement said. It added that the collection continues to be hosted on the department’s UFO website and that additional releases are planned “on a rolling basis.”
Credit: Department of War
The public archive first launched on May 8, when officials said they hoped making the records available would encourage “the application of private-sector analysis, information and expertise,” according to the Pentagon.
Hours after the website launched, Parnell said public interest had quickly surged.
“In just 12 hours, the site has received 340 MILLION hits from Americans and truth seekers worldwide seeking unfiltered UAP information,” Parnell wrote on X.
Credit: Department of War
President Donald Trump also announced the website’s launch on Truth Social, saying the records were being released for the public’s “review and study.”
“As for my promise to you, the Department of War has released the first tranche of the UFO/UAP files to the Public for their review and study,” Trump wrote. “In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects.”
He concluded the post by writing, “Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves… Have Fun and Enjoy!”
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