Mysterious Pentagon UFO Footage Shows Bizarre Object Streaking Across Middle East Skies in 2013

Newly Released Infrared Clip Adds to Growing Trove of Unexplained Aerial Encounters

WASHINGTON — Mysterious footage released by the Pentagon as part of President Trump’s “Complete and Maximum Transparency” initiative shows a bizarre, oddly shaped object streaking across the Middle Eastern sky in 2013, adding to the growing body of unexplained military encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).

The nearly two-minute infrared clip, submitted by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) personnel, was among the first batch of 162 declassified files uploaded to the government’s new public portal. It depicts a dark, star‑shaped object—reminiscent of an eight‑pointed star or a child’s drawing of a “spiky” balloon—moving laterally at high speed before darting upward and vanishing from the frame.

🛸 What the Video Shows

The footage, captured by a military aircraft’s targeting pod, shows a star‑shaped or “spiky” object hovering and then streaking horizontally across the sky. Unlike typical aircraft, the object appears to make a sudden, sharp vertical ascent before the camera loses track of it.

The clip’s metadata indicates it was recorded in 2013 over an undisclosed location in the Middle East. The object exhibits no visible means of propulsion, no wings, and no heat signature typical of jet engines or rockets—only a diffuse, cool glow on the infrared sensor.

A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters: “This is not a balloon, not a drone, not a bird. It is performing maneuvers that defy known aerodynamics.”

📂 Part of a Historic Disclosure

The video was included in the first tranche of documents released on May 8, 2026, following President Trump’s directive ordering federal agencies to search for and declassify records related to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and potential extraterrestrial life.

Other materials in the tranche include:

• Pilot testimony from 2004 USS Nimitz “Tic Tac” incident , now backed by newly declassified radar data
• NASA astronaut transcripts detailing unusual sightings during the Apollo‑era missions
• FBI case files from the 1940s and 1950s pertaining to “flying saucers”
• Internal military memos citing recent encounters in Iraq and Syria

🤔 Unidentified: Still No Explanation

While the Pentagon’s All‑domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) has determined that most UAP sightings can be attributed to drones, weather balloons, sensor glitches, or advanced adversary drones, this object has no obvious explanation.

“The video is genuine,” a Pentagon official told reporters. “But we have not identified the object, nor its origin. It remains, for now, unidentified.”

Former AARO director Sean Kirkpatrick cautioned that “not every unusual image is evidence of aliens.” He noted that modern infrared cameras can produce “thermal blooms” and that the “star‑shaped” appearance could be a lens artifact (a diffraction spike) created by a bright heat source overexposing the sensor.

However, the former intelligence officer who submitted the file told investigators that the object was “visually confirmed” by multiple aircrew members, contradicting the suggestion that it might be merely an instrument artifact.

📜 Lawmakers React

Rep. Tim Burchett (R‑Tenn.), who has pushed for greater UAP transparency, praised the release but called it “a drop in the bucket.”

“We’ve been told for decades that this footage doesn’t exist. Now we have proof that it does. The American people deserve the full truth, not just a few videos,” Burchett said.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R‑Fla.) separately demanded the release of 46 specific UAP videos identified by whistleblowers. Those materials are expected to be included in future weekly installments of the declassification process.

🛸 What Happens Next

The 2013 video will be studied by civilian UAP research organizations, such as the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU). The Pentagon has stated that new files will be released on a rolling basis, with additional tranches expected every few weeks.

For now, the footage raises more questions than answers: Is it a highly advanced adversary drone? An unexplainable natural phenomenon? Or something else entirely? For now, it remains officially “unidentified.”

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