What does UAP stand for?

UAP stands for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. The term was used, for example, to describe the subject of a U.S. congressional hearing on May 17, 2022, as well as videos and reports released by the U.S. Border Patrol [1][4]. A 2026 FBI document also uses the phrase Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena [6].

“Unidentified” describes the status of a phenomenon, not what caused it. UAP is therefore not synonymous with aliens. It can refer to a report or recording that has yet to be identified, without the term itself explaining what was seen in the sky [1][2]. The title of an AARO file about a video from Eglin Air Force Base also uses UAP, but the summary says the video was uploaded to a classified network in 2023 and likely originated from an infrared sensor on a military platform. The title alone does not identify the object [5].

Put simply, when you read about a UAP, it means an aerial phenomenon that has not been identified—not necessarily an aircraft, and not necessarily extraterrestrial technology. The site has also documented eyewitness reports, such as a silver light over Los Angeles in May 2026. But that was a single-person sighting, and the report also raised the possibility that it was a balloon [3]. What remains unknown? Without a well-supported identification of each case, the acronym UAP itself does not reveal what caused the phenomenon [3][5].